Forgetting
by Shelley G
Summary: Klaus had done terrible things. She knew that better than most. Still, sometimes she found herself forgetting. AU Season 4.
1. Chapter 1

**AU the basic premise is what if Tyler had actually cheated with Hayley and he and Caroline were actually broken up during season 4. Just a spin on how that would have effected the following course of events. Enjoy!**

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"Yes, well, just know that if Tyler was still sired to me, he never would have hurt you." He met her gaze, his own expression ardent. "I wouldn't have let him."

Caroline woke gasping. She had Twilight-worthy hibby jibbies and she half expected to find her Original stalker lurking in the shadows, watching her sleep. With everything that had happened after his remark that evening, the threats, the deals, near deaths and near misses, promised dates and beheadings, she didn't know why one pointed comment from a person she had every reason to hate, barbed so painfully in her mind.

Why did it matter that he wouldn't have let Tyler hurt her? Why did Klaus even care? Why did she care that he cared? Why did any of it matter? The answer was painfully simple as she admitted it silently to herself, she still couldn't bring herself to admit it aloud, his words mattered because he cared, and he was the only one who cared.

Tyler cheated on her. He cheated on her and he hadn't even paid her the respect of admitting it, even when she was in the same room with him and the slutty she-wolf he'd slept with. All his claims of leaving town for her, for them, going away so he could break the sire bond and be with her, left her with an icky feeling in her gut that made her feel like she needed a shower. Everything he'd ever told her was a lie, and now the once treasured memories left her feeling dirty and used.

Maybe their relationship had started out sincere, but he'd ruined even the good parts with his actions, and made it worse with his dishonesty.

And what did her friends do with the news of her soul-crushing breakup? Did they bring her ice cream and chick flicks and tell her everything was going to be okay? No, they pimped her out once again as Klaus bait. As always, everyone's number one priority was to save Elena.

It wasn't that Caroline hadn't wanted to save her friend. She loved Elena like a sister. And sure, Elena's problems were bigger than her own. She had a dead hunter haunting her, trying to convince her to off herself. Life and death was more pressing than a breakup. But Caroline wished that just once her problems would rank high enough to even one of her friend for them to put her first.

And even as she allowed herself to feel slighted, guilt for her selfishness nagged her. It wasn't their fault that their problems were so much bigger than her own. It wasn't their fault that they didn't have time to soothe her hurt feelings.

Still, it was a tough pill to swallow that Klaus, their arch nemesis Klaus, conveyed sympathy for her pain before any one of her friends thought to.

She knew all the terrible things the Hybrid had done. She knew he was the bad guy and that she should run the other way. He was trouble. He would bring her nothing but trouble in return. That's why she'd been pushing him away with both hands for the past few months. He'd done terrible things. Hurt people she cared about. He'd hurt her too, sic'ing Tyler on her with the sire bond, though he'd also been the one to come to her aid on that occasion. Still, there were moments, brief, terrifying moments when she found herself forgetting what he was and what he'd done. And even worse, there were moments when she found herself wanting to forget.

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**Don't want to give too much away, but this idea has been gnawing on my brain for a while. If you can't help but love Klaroline, stay tune!  
**

**Please Review,**

**Shelley**


	2. Chapter 2

He should be elsewhere. He was arguably the most important man in town, at least the most infamous. He had more pressing things on his plate than wooing a pretty face. He should be focused on finding his way to the cure and turning the doppelgänger back into a blood bag. Fortunately, he'd always been quite good at multitasking.

He would fix the doppelgänger and resume making himself an army of hybrids. They were all he'd ever wanted, after all. An army of monsters exactly like him. A family of his own making, one that wouldn't reject him like every member of his own family had at one point or another.

But now, somehow, there was something he wanted more than his hybrid, something he wanted enough to sacrifice one of them, even now that they had become an endangered species.

He wanted Caroline Forbes.

He hadn't spared her a second thought when he initially met her. He knew that Katherine had intended for him to use the new vampire as a sacrifice to break the curse, and he had intended to do so when she was conveniently chained beside an equally convenient werewolf. When she proved an inconvenient sacrifice, he made new arrangements and she got to live.

Planning to sacrifice her hadn't been personal, neither was opting for a different sacrificial lamb. It also wasn't personal when he force-fed her boyfriend his blood and snapped the were-boy's neck. He needed to make his hybrids work and the Scooby Gang needed incentive to solve the problem. He saw the pain his actions caused her as she waited for the boy she loved to die a second, gruesome death if they didn't find a way to save him in time. He saw her pain and he didn't care. She meant nothing to him. Her and Tyler were just collateral damage.

And then he had her bitten so that he could get what he wanted from her mother the sheriff. He hadn't spared a second thought about hurting her. He had no qualms letting her die. Even as he waited for the sheriff to invite him in, saving the girl was merely a side effect of the deal. But then he went to her room, and there she lay small and weak in her bed, pale even for a vampire. She saw him; the first thing she asked was if he was going to kill her. She thought so low of him that she thought he would kill her on her birthday. And that's when he felt it, the smallest twinge of guilt. Regret that she was hurt and that it had been his doing.

She looked so young, so vulnerable in her bed with a festering wound and poison pumping through her veins. She had so much life to live, despite her still narrowly human perspective on things. And in that moment he wanted her to live it, every second of her eternity. He wanted to save her. He didn't want her to fear him. He wanted her to want to be saved, to want him to save her, so he gave her a grand speech and told her that vampirism meant she was free, but she would have none of it.

And he realized that she meant it, she really did think so low of him as to think that he would let her die on her birthday. And perhaps he would have when she was simply collateral damage, but the twinge struck once again. Because he didn't want her to be the victim. He didn't want to be the villain, at least not her villain, as for the others, well, the others be damned.

He didn't want her to die, more than that, he wanted to know that she wanted to live. He wanted her to crave life. And when she did he gave her his blood, cradling her like she was fragile, and healed her. And that was when he realized how wrong he had been. Because Caroline Forbes was not collateral damage, not anymore, perhaps she never had been, but he was. He thought he could use her as a pawn to get what he wanted. But now she was what he wanted and he didn't know where to begin to get in her good graces.

Even now, he wanted her as he watch from just out of sight as she barked out orders for the preparations for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Striking fear into the hearts of a half dozen helping hands bustling around the Lockwood residence, commanding the tiny fleet with her clipboard. He couldn't help but think that, if she wasn't so intent on being one of the good guys, she would make a terrifying villain. She was quite exquisite in that way, deliciously complex, made up entirely of contradictions. The baby vampire with epic restraint, desperate not to be the monster her parents feared she'd become. But it was the sun which burned brightest that collapsed into itself, becoming a black hole. He wasn't sure what she would become in time, but he was desperate to witness the journey.

But she rejected him, spurned his advances time and time again. Her offenses, which from anyone else would have been paid for with blood, were endearing. He had never intended to develop a serious attachment, managed to avoid it for a millennia, but now things had changed. She was a force of nature. And he was at her mercy.

"Now how did I know I'd find you at the helm of this ship?" Klaus mused as he sauntered up to her, hands clasped behind his back.

"Go away, I'm busy." She replied, barely hazarding a glance at the Original Hybrid.

"I was wonder what time I should pick you up tomorrow." Klaus pressed on, undeterred. He had ignored far more sound rejections from the pretty blonde to be dissuaded so easily.

His remark earned him a satisfying reaction. Her gaze jerked up for a moment, though she didn't look at him, then she resolutely returned her attention to her clipboard.

"How about a quarter to never?" She replied coolly.

Klaus suppressed and amused smirk as he sidled a step closer to her, "I was promised a date in return for one of my hybrids."

He thought it was best to leave it there. Beheadings weren't exactly the direction he hoped their conversation would steer.

She finally turned her attention on him and he savored in it. Her eyes sparkled despite her hostile gaze he could tell she relished in the opportunity to banter. There were other ways that he would have liked her to look at him, but he didn't mind this one, not even when she seemed barely able to keep her contempt in check. He wondered how a dullard like Tyler had managed to amuse her for as long as he had. She was intelligent. She needed and deserved someone who could challenge her, not a small town, small minded high school boy.

"Yes, a date." She said, "Like to a movie, where we don't have to talk and I can put at least three seats between us."

"Well surely the reigning Miss Mystic Falls won't be hosting the party alone, and I'm assuming you're not taking Tyler, not after his indiscretion with lady-wolf friend." Klaus said, attempting to remind her of her recent change in relationship status. He kept his gaze downcast to conceal the glee their breakup gave him, glee that she would likely consider quite tactless.

He looked up to see her reaction. Her expression seemed to war between emotions kept barely in check. The flicker of a smile twitched across her lips, and it struck Klaus as important. That little flicker. A smile that appeared to conceal the hurt she felt. He felt like a starving man, and every detail he could glean about her eased his desperate hunger. But none of it could sate him. No, it would take more than she was willing to give to do that. He didn't mind though, he was a patient man. He could wait. Waiting was a kind of exquisite torture, it only added to the eventual pleasure that would come when he won her.

He wondered how many times she'd used a smile as a mask, a radiant lie. The mask that showed the world what they wanted to see and allowed her to hide behind the façade. He wondered if she knew how much that smile exposed. He wonder if she even knew how long she'd been lying to everyone around her, how long she'd been lying to herself. Because Caroline Forbes wasn't happy, she was just a sad little girl who tried to be everything for everyone, but always wound up with nothing for herself.

Klaus longed to show her that they were wrong, every single person in this town, everyone who took her for granted, everyone who was blind to the lie, but she wasn't ready to let him. At least, not yet. Time would change that, of that he was completely confident. She would surrender to his affections. It was just a matter of time. And time was something he had plenty of.

"Fine, if you insist on coming, meet me here. Two p.m." She whirled around and flounced off, calling over her shoulder, "Black tie optional." She stopped and turned on him, pointing at him threateningly. "And I already have a dress, so don't even think of getting me so much as a corsage, you understand?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline." Klaus taunted.

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**Mostly following the show except with a little insight into Klaus's mind. Don't worry thing will be diverging from the show very soon! **

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	3. Chapter 3

Caroline buzzed around like an angry hornet, verbally assaulting waiters and musicians alike. If she stopped and thought about it she'd feel bad, but she didn't want to think about it. Thinking was not an option. Thinking would lead to feeling and feeling would lead to crying and that was not okay. She hadn't cried since she found out the truth about Tyler and Hayley. It wasn't like Tyler would know whether or not she cried herself to sleep over him, but that wasn't the point. But she would know. And he wasn't worth her tears.

He cheated.

Cheating was the one thing she could not get past. She had only and would only ever forgive one cheater. Her father. And it wasn't that she was okay with the fact that he left her mother for Stephen, but she had always been so afraid that if she didn't forgive him, accept his choice to leave, that he would go anyway. She had been terrified that he would leave her behind and never think about her again.

She had always been a daddy's girl. Even now that he was gone, she was still a daddy's girl.

But Tyler was no Bill Forbes. Tyler wouldn't be getting a free pass.

And she wouldn't care. He was a dirty, rotten cheat and she was so over him. So what if he picked the were-bitch over her? Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Caroline knew the other girl was a slut from the moment she laid eyes on her. If Tyler wanted to go slumming, then good riddance.

She liked to think that she was fooling herself, but she could feel the nagging, human insecurities clawing at her. She wanted so badly to get over those feelings, to leave them behind and never look back. But it's hard to let go of something that had been so ingrained in her personality for so long. Everyone seemed to think now that she was a vampire she was strong and confident, but she wasn't. She was the same girl with the same insecurities. And once again she was second choice.

She was always falling short of someone. For her parents it was the human version of herself. For her friends it was Elena. For Tyler it was Hayley. All she ever wanted was to be someone's first choice. What she realized now was that she probably should have specified that that someone shouldn't be a psychopath.

Caroline raged over her underlings, the tyrant of her own tiny universe. It amused Klaus to see her like this, so charged, so full of life. Real. In her anger, her honesty broke viciously free. It was her honesty that had truly captured his notice. At first, she had simply been a beautiful face. A prize to be won. And conquest to be conquered. When he invited her to his mother's ball he'd intended to seduce her and be done with the little attraction.

But then she had turned on him, sliced him open with her brutal honesty. Using her uncanny intuition to dig inside him and pull out all the broken bits. She saw him for exactly what he was and she hadn't cowered. He didn't scare her, but she terrified him. And he loved it. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she saw through him with such ease because underneath all her pretext of perfection she was broken in all the same ways.

She told him that because his father hadn't loved him, he didn't think anyone else would. He wondered if that assessment hadn't been a little bit telling of her personal fears.

"And how am I doing?" Klaus asked interrupting the young blond vampire's downward spiral into a full-fledged rampage.

Her gaze snapped to him. She ran him up and down with her meticulous gaze, searching for a flaw. Her expression pinched for just a moment before it smoothed into an exasperated grimace.

"You're… perfect." She admitted. Klaus grinned, broadly. "Which is so beyond annoying I can't even look at you."

Despite her words, she seemed unable to look away. The hint of a smile warmed her eyes.

"They didn't waste time, did they?" He said, fracturing the moment.

Caroline looked around and saw the sight which had caught his attention. Tyler and Hayley crossing the bridge to join the party, hand in hand.

Klaus couldn't help but look for her reaction. Part of him wondered it if was all an act. If the breakup had been faked, another ploy conjured up by her friends to use her as a distraction, but one look at her face told him otherwise. Her lips were pressed tight and her eyes were sad. She looked small, so small. The controlled heartbreak exposed her for exactly how young she was. Still young enough to crumple over the betrayal of a lover.

Klaus knew better. Heartbreak was always a bitter sting, but a few centuries had a way of putting each one in perspective. Not that he'd had his heart broken. Not really. But seeing her so saddened by the wretched hybrid with the nerve to break his sire bond made Klaus want nothing more than to rip the whelp's head clean off. However, Klaus doubted that enough time had passed since she'd loved the boy for Klaus to get away with such action without kindling the wrath of Caroline Forbes.

Instead he reached out and took her hand. And she let him.

Caroline couldn't help it. Her eyes kept seeking out Tyler in the crowd. It was like he was a magnet forever drawing her attention. He and Hayley talked and laughed, flirting madly. She may or may not have overheard them openly mocking the Miss Mystic Fall pageant. Actually, she'd strained her vamp hearing to catch every word.

She felt another twinge of betrayal. Tyler knew she was the former Miss Mystic. He knew the pageant was important to her. Sure he'd cheated, but part of her wanted to think it was a stupid mistake, a mistake that he regretted. She wanted to believe that he had really loved her, respected her. She wanted to believe it because the alternative hurt too much.

It was stupid. She didn't want to care. She soldiered through her pageant director duties with a smile plastered across her face, dealt with the endless supply of Elena/Salvator brother of the week drama, all the while, Klaus trailed along after her. She wished that for just one day she didn't have to deal with everybody else's problems. She wished she could go back, back to when Mystic Falls had been a safe place to live, before the vampires, witches, and werewolves. She was tired of curses and cures, dopplegangers, and foreboding prophecies. She just wanted one normal day.

Apparently that was too much to ask.

Caroline started after Elena, to try and prevent her friend from making yet another incredibly stupid life choice, but Klaus caught her arm.

"What?" She snapped.

"Walk with me." He said.

"No." She said, resisting his hold.

"This is supposed to be a date, sweetheart." He said.

"Yeah, well, I have things to do." She said.

"Unless I am mistaken, your duties as pageant director have all been fulfilled. Quite eloquently I might add." He said. "You're done."

"Elena…"

"Is a big girl." Klaus cut her off. "She can handle her own problems for one evening, don't you think?"

Caroline huffed because she couldn't think of any other arguments, besides the obvious. She didn't want to be alone with Klaus. It wasn't that she was worried about what he might do to her. He wasn't going to hurt her. If he'd wanted to hurt her he'd had plenty of opportunities on occasions when she'd given him much more reason. But she'd told him once that she was too smart to be seduced by him. She didn't want to give him the opportunity to prove her wrong. Because when she'd said that she'd been in love and securely in a relationship. Now she was lonely and rejected. She had a habit of making bad choices when she let her insecurities get the better of her and she couldn't help but worry that her impeccable self-control might meet its match with Klaus Mikaelson.

Reluctantly, she nodded her surrender and Klaus released her arm.

He held out his arm for her to take, "Walk with me?"

She was startled by the fact that this time it was a request rather than a demand. She slipped her hand through the crook of his arm and lightly wrapped her fingers around his bicep. He smirk, his "I won" smirk that infuriated her, but she couldn't help but feel a little flattered when he saw her companionship as such a lofty prize.

There were a lot of things not to like about Klaus, but he did know how to make a girl feel special.

He whisked her away from the party, snatching a bottle of champagne and a couple glasses as they retreated across the bridge and wandered the grassy grounds. Silently they traipsed across the property.

Not one for silence, Caroline started talking, and once she started she found it hard to stop. Because he was an incredible listener, and she'd missed having someone listen to, someone who wanted to hear what she had to say. It was intoxicating.

He smirked at her as she railed on about her problems. They were small, trivial, and so human. He slowly corralled her further from the gathering, carrying the champagne as she used wild arm gestures to convey the gravity of the situation between Elena and Damon. Klaus didn't care in the slightest, but he adored the sound of her voice and he found the way she cared so much about things that wouldn't matter in the slightest a few weeks from now, let alone years, endearing. But then again, he found almost everything about her endearing.

She was a mess of complicated contradictions. She was insecure, borderline neurotic. She was vapid and sometimes incredibly shallow. But she had infinite potential. She was a constellation of possibilities, a galaxy of promise. She could become so much than what she now was, something truly special. Far more special than the doppelgänger all her friends fawned over. Or the insipid witch who had about as much foresight as a fly about to collide with a spider's web. He only hoped that he could convince her to allow him to watch her become all that she could be.

"So being a vampire has changed her." Klaus summarized her rant about the doppelgänger. The moment Elena Gilbert's human heart stopped beating, she became entirely useless to him and his interest in any aspect of her life was ended, unless he could find the cure and shove it down her throat.

"But being a vampire only amplifies who you already are." Caroline argued. "It doesn't turn you into a completely different person."

"That's very peculiar." He said, amused that he was the only one who seemed to have realized how closely the doppelgänger's behavior mirrored that of his sired hybrids. So desperate for the approval of the one who created them.

"What's that look for?" She asked.

"It will all make sense eventually."

"Whatever," She said, sinking down onto a bench. "Just hurry up and find the cure."

"I'm working on it." He assured her as he sat down beside her.

He set down the wine glasses and began opening the champagne.

"Would you ever take it?" She asked.

He glanced at her, considering her question for a moment, though he didn't want her to know that. Would he consider it?

"Now, why would I want to cure myself of being the most powerful creature on the planet? Hmm?" He countered.

"So there's not one single moment in your whole like that you wanted to be human?" She persisted.

He popped that champagne.

"How about you?" He asked.

He poured them both a drink. She sipped hers as she considered the question.

"Life used to be a lot easier." He continued. "Don't you miss the days of being…" He pulled out his secret weapon and unfolded the old application. "chair of the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee and the director of the policemen's yearly ball."

"Is that my Miss Mystic application?" She asked, launching to her feet and snatching at the paper. "Where did you get that?"

"When I am chosen…" He continued.

She made one last snatch at the paper before settling back with her hands on her hips, allowing him to have his way. Smiling as smile that looked more like a grimace. She was far from amused.

"Now I'm really enjoying your use of when here, it's very confident." He teased.

She attempted to conceal her mortification.

"And above all, I promise to aspire, inspire, and perspire." He continued. "Obviously we found a shortage of words ending in spire."

Her calm broke and she snatched at the paper again. "Very funny, it's hilarious. Just gi…"

He held it out of her reach and she stopped, realizing just how ridiculous her reaction truly was, and she began to laugh at herself. He joined in her amusement. Recognizing how small her former human concerns had been was the first step to her letting go of the life that was and opening her mind to the possibilities of an immortal future, a future without the limits of time and the fear of impending death, a future that could be so much more than this little town that stifled her potential, even if she didn't see it that way yet.

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	4. Chapter 4

Tyler's blood was boiling. Klaus could hear the other hybrid's rage in the rapid pounding of his heart, the groaning of his skin against moisture slickened glass as he squeezed his champagne glass to the point of breaking. It was rather amusing. While his desire for a date with Caroline had not for the sake of making the treacherous hybrid suffer, he couldn't deny that it was an add bonus.

The party was dying out as Klaus topped off Caroline's glass, finishing their second bottle of champagne.

"Thanks." She gave him her pressed lipped smile and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him and he couldn't help but wonder exactly how tipsy the young blonde vampire was. She seemed more relaxed, more open to his company, and he had to assume that intoxication had helped.

"I did think about it," he said suddenly, "once."

"What?" Caroline looked at him over the rim of her glass.

"You asked me if I'd ever thought about being human." He clarified. "Once. I was on a trek in the Andes, and a humming bird flew up to me. And it just hovered there, staring at me. And its tiny heart was pattering like a machine gun. And I thought, 'what a thing' you know, to have to work that hard every day just to stay alive. To be constantly on the verge of death. And how satisfying every day must be that it survived. And that was the only time I thought about being human."

Caroline stared at him, listening to every word he said.

He could practically hear Tyler rolling his eyes. He didn't like that the hybrid was listening in, invading on moments that he wished were just between the two of them, but it was the closest to being alone with Caroline he could hope to be for now. He hoped to change that sooner rather than later.

"Was that a line?" Caroline asked. "Is that what you use on all your conquests?"

"Is it working?" He asked.

She blushed and attempted to conceal it by taking another sip of her drink.

"Honestly," he continued, "I've never told that to anyone before."

"So why are you telling me?"

"Why do you think?" Klaus asked. "I already told you I fancy you, Caroline."

She rolled her eyes and downed the last of her champagne, "Maybe I don't believe you."

"You believe me." Klaus smirked. He leaned close to her and tucked her hair behind her ear. His breath warmed her cheek as he whisper, "That's what you're afraid of."

Caroline jumped, startled by his assessment. She looked him in the eye, her own wide. He could see her lowered inhibitions by the openness in her eyes. She looked so fragile, so insecure. He'd been right; she saw his broken parts because she had the same scars.

The reason why she couldn't understand how someone could see her as the pinnacle of perfection was because no one ever had. No one had ever chosen her, not really. Klaus could see that they were all fools; even if she couldn't. Maybe she didn't think anyone would ever choose her, but he intended to prove her wrong. No matter how long it took.

Caroline bit her lip. She tried not to stare at Klaus's mouth as he spoke. She tried, but she failed. He fancied her. He'd done nothing but try to prove it too her since her birthday, with gifts and drawings and showers of attention. He fancied her. And it wasn't because there was someone else that he wanted but couldn't have so he decided to settle for her, no, he fancied her.

She'd felt her inhibitions slipping with every sip of champagne. She knew she should have stopped drinking, shown a little restraint. She should have maintained control. But she couldn't make herself want to stop. She just wanted to feel appreciated. She didn't want to feel rejected. She wanted someone who wanted her. Even if she knew better.

She spent so much time trying to do the right thing, trying to make good decisions. She was so tired of being the good girl. What had it ever gotten her? All she'd ever gotten from anyone was to be their second choice, at best. For once, for one day, she was going to be someone's first choice.

She was going to make the wrong decision, and everyone else could deal just deal with it. She was always dealing with the windfall of their stupid mistakes. It was her turn to be the stupid one. It was how they all saw her anyway. Shallow. Stupid. Expendable. It was how she saw herself. Klaus was the only one who seemed to see anything else.

So, if Elena was allowed to juggle the Salvatore brothers, than she was allow to make poor life decisions too. As Klaus had pointed out about Elena, she was a big girl. So was Caroline.

She sat down her glass and met Klaus's hungry gaze.

"Let's get out of here." She said.

She jumped at the sound of breaking glass.

"Tyler!" Hayley shrieked in surprise.

Klaus could smell the other hybrids blood even though he was several hundred feet away. Caroline looked concerned for a moment, but forced the expression down. She met Klaus's gaze steadily and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

Klaus rose to his feet and smoothed down his suit before offering Caroline his hand. She sat her glass on the stone bench and lightly took his hand, pulling herself to her feet.

"Let's go." She said, pulling him after her.

He was more than willing to allow her control, something he'd come to realize she desperately craved. They walked around the Lockwood manor rather than going by the ex.

"Did you drive?" Caroline asked as they came around to the Lockwood's driveway where a few cars remained of the last couple attendees who hadn't seemed to realize that it was time to leave.

"I did." Klaus confirmed. Considering her heels, Klaus doubted she was very keen on vamp speeding to their destination.

"Good." Caroline said. "Take me home."

"If you would like." Klaus nodded respectfully. He led her to his car, a red Shelby Cobra, one of the many classics in his garage, and opened the passenger door.

"No," Caroline caught the door with her hand and turned to face him. "Take. Me. Home."

Klaus's eyes went wide in surprise. He had assumed she was pulling a stunt to get a reaction out of Tyler. Once she succeeded, he hadn't expected her to actually follow through. But that was what he liked about her. She was the only person in hundreds who had the ability to surprise him. She sank down into the car and he closed the door after her.

Caroline was sobered up enough by the time they reached the Mikaelson Mansion to be second guessing her decision. She balled her shaking hands in her lap to hide the fact that they were shaking. She was worried about where this might lead, but saying something now would mean admitting she'd made a mistake. There was only one thing that Caroline hated more than making a mistake, and that was admitting it.

Klaus stopped the vehicle in the driveway. Caroline got out of the car before he could come around and get the door for her. He started up the front steps and stopped at the door, looking back at Caroline who was still standing beside the car.

"Is there a problem, love?" He asked.

"Nope," Caroline said. She hurried up the stairs. "No problem."

"Good." Klaus opened the door as she joined him and let it swing open. He looked at her expectantly as though waiting for her to make the first move.

Caroline took a deep breath and plastered on her best Miss Mystic smile, before stepping over the threshold.

"So how does this work?" She asked.

"How does what work?" Klaus countered.

"This," she said impatiently, "how does this work?"

He smirked at her. She hoped he couldn't see right through her, see how terrified she was, but she had a feeling that he could.

"How do you think this is going to work?" He asked.

"I think you're probably going to flirt with me, show me some more of your art, offer me a drink, and then sex." She said.

"Ah… Yes, hot hybrid sex." Klaus mused.

Caroline flushed at the memory of the time in the woods when she, thinking that Tyler was Tyler when he was really Tyler possessed by Klaus, totally made out with him after he rescued her from the psycho town council.

That was the only time they had ever kissed. Despite months of verbal foreplay he had never, not once, tried to kiss her. Not that she would have let him. Before today, she would have been much smart about this.

She had never kissed Klaus, not really. She had wondered what it would be like. She'd done the whole bad boy thing before with Damon, which wound up with her being his compelled blood bag play thing. The experience had kind of turned her off the bad boys.

But Klaus. He was worse than any bad boy. He was a villain. The mustache twirling, maniacal laughing villain a good girl should run from. But Caroline wasn't sure that she was a good girl anymore, not really. She tried so hard to control her instincts, but she could feel herself changing, slowly but surely.

The Caroline she was before she turned never would have come here with Klaus. She wouldn't find herself forgetting the terrible things he'd done, and even worse, offering excuses for some of them. She should run the other way, but instead here they were. She wasn't worried about him compelling her. If he was going to do that he would have done it ages ago. No, this was a game to him. He didn't want to win by cheating.

"So?" She pressed, expectantly. She didn't want to let her nerves get the better of her. Maybe it would be better if they did, but she didn't want to back down. She had been bluffing at first, but now she was being stubborn. What did it matter what Tyler thought of her. He was the cheater. They were done. She was single and allowed to make any stupid decision she wanted to. And Klaus was about as stupid as decisions could get.

"Well then, would you like a drink, sweetheart?" Klaus offered with his lips pressed together in an amused half smile.

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	5. Chapter 5

No one would take his call, not Elena, not Bonnie, not even Matt. He knew they were all mad at him for cheating on Caroline, but he had every right to be mad at them too. Because of them, Chris was dead. And because of the stupid deal Caroline made to save Elena, she was now in Klaus's grasp.

The Original must have compelled her. That was the only explanation that made sense. After everything Klaus had done to all of them, to him, there was no way Caroline would willingly go home with him. She just wouldn't.

She couldn't.

It didn't matter that their relationship was on the rocks. Tyler loved her, sure he'd made a mistake with Hayley, but it was justifiable, he'd been in the midst of breaking the sire bond, changing about a hundred times, breaking every bone in his body, things had been pretty intense. It had been a mistake, one that Caroline would forgive him for eventually. He would get her back. They would be in love again.

So long as she didn't get herself killed in the meantime.

"Why is no one answering their phone?" Tyler growled, chucking his cellphone across the room."

"Whoa!" Hayley said. "Chill, Ty."

"Don't tell me to chill." He snapped. "Klaus has Caroline."

"Yeah," Hayley said, "because she went with him."

Tyler growled. He slammed Hayley against the wall. He could feel his teeth extending, his eyes changing. Hayley's eyes were wide with fear, but then she relaxed and smiled.

"Ty, let it go." She said. "You're here with me. Be with me."

She stroked his face.

"But Caroline…" His rage extinguished as quickly as it was kindled. The fight bled out of him. He couldn't help it, not when he imagined her. His Caroline. Her hair, her eyes, her dazzling smile. The way she loved him with her whole self. Caroline Forbes, the girl he never saw coming until he was already half in love with her.

"Isn't your concern anymore." Hayley reached down and started work on his belt. "I am."

Tyler grabbed her hand. "Stop it, Hayley."

"She dumped you, Ty." Hayley said sharply.

Tyler pushed her away, "Get out."

"Ty…"

"Get out before I make you."

Caroline hesitantly accepted the glass of champagne from Klaus. She was starting to think he might have been on to something about it being their thing. Now that she'd allowed him to take her home, she didn't really think that she could deny that they did, indeed, have a thing.

What would Matt say? The thought paralyzed her momentarily. Elena would judge her, but then again, there was nothing she could do that Elena hadn't done worse. Everyone treated Elena like she was perfect, but she just as flawed as Caroline was. Bonnie would judge her no matter what she did. Bonnie still loved her, but there was a part Bonnie that couldn't forgive her for becoming a vampire, even though it wasn't her fault. But Matt… Her friend, her former love, the one person who understood she wasn't perfect and didn't judge her for it. He was good and sweet and normal in this crazy world. Would he hate her for this?

No. She didn't think he would.

"Make yourself comfortable." Klaus said.

Comfortable was just about the furthest thing from what she was currently feeling. She took a sip, hoping the alcohol would replenish the nerves she was lacking. She didn't know the protocol for when one went home with a thousand year old vampire.

It wasn't like he was an Edward Cullen either. No, Klaus was no thousand year old virgin. He knew exactly what he was doing. His every attempt to seduce her had been carefully calculated from the start. He knew what he wanted and he knew precisely how to go about getting it. How was she supposed to fight against someone like that?

Not that Caroline was inexperienced either, but she didn't think eighteen years of life experience had properly prepared her for this situation.

"You can take a seat, Caroline."

Klaus sank into a leather chair beside the cold fireplace, perfectly angled to observe her every action. His lips were pressed together, and Caroline had the impression he was refraining from laughing at her. It made her feel exposed, like he saw straight through her. She didn't like it.

"I'm good." She said. She drew closer to the hearth and, by doing so, closer to Klaus.

"Preparing to run?"

"No." She snapped.

He smirked.

Riled, she kicked off her heels and gave him a pointed look, "Happy?"

"Ecstatic." He replied.

The tile floor was cold beneath her feet, sending a chill up her legs and through her body. It distracted her from her pounding heart. She tried not to think about the fact that Klaus could hear her every physical reaction, he could hear the way he caused her heart to gallop off at a frantic pace. She could say that it was because he frightened her, but they would both know that was a lie. Caroline Forbes, the girl who brazenly acted as bait for the most dangerous man in the world, playing on his affections for her, was not so easily frightened.

If anything, she was frightened of herself, terrified of the person she was becoming, a person who would go home with Klaus… A person who wanted to.

"We're not so different, you and I." Klaus mused.

"I'm not like you." Caroline said.

"Aren't you?"

"No."

"Tell me, sweetheart," Klaus said, "did you come here expressly for the purpose of hurting Tyler?"

"So what if I did?" Caroline countered. She tried to hide the fact that his question caught her off guard.

"You want those who have wronged you to suffer." He observed, a smile twisted the corner of his lips, "Secretly."

Caroline gaped at the Hybrid. She liked to think she was above something like that. But didn't she secretly long to take a peeler to Damon's face for the horrible things he'd done to her? Didn't she come here because she wanted Tyler to feel a glimmer of the pain he'd caused her? Maybe secretly she was just as vindictive as Klaus, except he just wasn't afraid to be the bad guy. Maybe the only reason she wasn't exactly like Klaus was because she worked so hard not to be. If she just let go, if she let herself go, maybe she was a monster too.

"Keep your secrets." Klaus said. "I rather enjoy the mystery."

A silence fell between them. Caroline sipped her drink.

"Were you aware that Tyler and his female companion have been working to break the sire bond of the remaining Hybrids?" Klaus asked suddenly.

Caroline inhaled sharply. She had known, in fact she'd been involved before she learned the truth about Tyler and Hayley. She'd been the distraction, keeping Klaus preoccupied so that he wouldn't see what was happening right under his nose. How foolish had they been to think they could fool someone like Klaus? And now what? Was he going to hurt Tyler? Caroline might be angry with him, but she didn't want that. She'd never wanted that.

"I was." She admitted.

Klaus didn't look angry or even surprised. He simply nodded. "Thank you for your honesty."

"Are you going to hurt them?" She asked.

"I considered it."

"And?"

"I'd rather enjoy your company." He said.

This stumped Caroline. She knew he had a thing for her, but she didn't think she mattered enough to him to sway him from whatever so-called justice he felt the urge to dole out. He made it quite clear that his feelings for her wouldn't stop him from hurting her when she double crossed him to help free Elena. So why this? Why would he choose to ignore her part in the hybrids' betrayal? Why would he let them off the hook? Was it for her sake? He left her with a million questions that she didn't know how to even start to ask.

"Why?"

"I sacrificed one of my precious hybrids just to be able to spend time with you." He smirked. "Is it really so surprising that I would hesitate to do something that would jeopardize our thing?"

"We don't have a thing." Caroline said. It was an instinctive reaction. After spending so long actively trying to dislike the man, it was difficult to adjust as things shifted between them. But judging by his amused smirk, he didn't believe her protest any more than he had when she had actually meant it. She cleared her throat, nervously, "So you'll leave him alone, for me?"

Klaus smirked. "Revenge doesn't always require violence."

"So you want to use me to get back at Tyler?" Caroline asked.

"Does it matter?" Klaus asked. He raised an eyebrow considering her carefully, "Aren't you here for the same purpose?"

"I don't know," Caroline rolled her lip between her teeth, "maybe."

"Well, if that's all you came for, then you've already accomplished your purpose." Klaus stood up. "There's no reason for you to remain here. You can show yourself out, if you'd like."

Caroline recoiled, confused by the sudden shift.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked.

Klaus met her gaze; there was something desperate, honest about his expression that sent a shiver down her spine. "I want you to want to stay, Caroline."

She felt a thrill as he said her name. It was like he was the only person who'd ever said it right. Caroline glanced at the door. This was it, this was her out. He was giving her a way out; she just had to take it. She could pick up her heels and what was left of her dignity and go.

Caroline swirled her drink around in her glass. She had a feeling that this was one of the big moments, one of the moments that you looked back on and went 'yup, that's where my life changed'. She had a choice. She could stay the same, she could go home and pretend to be the same Miss Mystic Falls she'd been before she died, a small town girl destined for an equally small life. Or she could change, into what she wasn't sure, but she was sure that if she changed there would be no going back.

She sat her glass down on the mantle. A flicker of disappointment fleeted across Klaus's face. He thought she was going to take the out he'd laid before her, but he was wrong.

She closed the distance between them and kissed him hard.

"Caroline is where?" Stefan gaped at Tyler. "Willingly?"

He had been just about to leave Elena's house when the knock came from the door. Now he, Matt, and Jeremy stared at Caroline's ex, dumbfounded.

"I think Klaus must have compelled her." Tyler said.

Stefan saw the flicker of doubt in Tyler's eyes. Stefan couldn't help but wonder if the doubt was founded. Klaus had pursued Caroline relentlessly since her birthday, showering her with attention and gifts. He was obsessed, but if he was going to compel her, Stefan thought he probably would have done so already. No, he didn't compel her. He didn't have to. Caroline insisted that she didn't like the Original, but she wouldn't be the first girl to go for the wrong guy.

There had been a time when he would have said that Elena never would have fallen for Damon, but he'd been wrong. He was starting to think that saying never was just a good way to get proven wrong.

He felt a surge of guilt, because if Caroline was with Klaus, then it was his fault. He'd known she was going through a lot in the wake of Tyler's betrayal, but he didn't even give it a second thought as he thrust her once again in Klaus's path to play bait. He should have known better. Klaus was only going to play the game by their rules for so long. It had only been a matter of time before the Original Hybrid changed the rules so the game would play in his favor.

Stefan knew how far Klaus would go to get what he wanted. He'd daggered his own sister to prevent her from getting in the way of his getting his hands on the cure. And then it hit him. The cure.

He had a way in.

He could save Caroline. Even if it was from herself.

Every time Klaus presumed to know what the young blonde vampire was going to do, she did the exact opposite. She was a conundrum. He enjoyed that about her. Not only was she beautiful, brave, and intelligent, she was unlike any other woman he had known through the centuries.

She shared some superficial similarities with Rebekah, both beautiful, both insecure and so incredibly damaged by the men who played with their affections. Perhaps that had been what he had found so intriguing about her at first. But she was so different from what he initially thought. He thought she was the weak link, easily corruptible, selfish. But he was wrong.

She was far from selfish. She was incredibly loyal, offering far more loyalty to the doppelgänger and her other friends than was warranted. She was the backbone of their entire group. She was the strong one. She was strong and constant so that the other could falter.

If they could see her now, their stalwart unwavering friend, endlessly put upon, never disappointing, now standing at a precipice ready to free fall. What would they think of her?

They would be so disappointed, though every one of them had done far worse, they all expected better from her. Because she was better. She was the best of them. She was too good for them, for any of them. And they all took her for granted.

He looped one hand loosely around her waist and let her set the pace of their kiss. He was desperate to devour her, but he didn't want to show that weakness, so when she pulled away, he let her go.

"So, what now?" She challenged, staring him down with her lively blue eyes.

"You tell me." He countered.

He heard the tempo of her heart speed up a notch, but she kept her expression smooth.

"Now," she said, "you're going to show me to your bedroom."

Caroline didn't know if this was what she wanted, but she did know she didn't want to leave. She'd always had a tendency to fall into bed with a guy and figure out the logistics later. So what that Tyler would never talk to her again? So what that her friends would never understand? She didn't understand herself, so she couldn't expect them to.

There was something about Klaus that drew her in. She didn't trust him, wasn't even sure if she liked him, but she wanted him. She'd wanted him from the moment he came into her bedroom and told her of all the splendors of the world that waited for her just beyond Mystic Falls. She'd wanted him because he seemed to believe she was made for so much more than 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. She wanted him because nobody else looked at her the way he did, and she doubted anyone ever would again. She wanted to be wanted that desperately, just once.

No one else had ever seemed to think she counted for much of anything, but he, well he seemed to think she counted for everything.

Klaus offered her his hand. She took it, trying to ignore the thrill his slightest touch sent through her. She had always liked to be in control. She had convinced herself that while they bantered and battled for control in whatever this was between them that she was the one who always came out on top. But now, as he guided her through the enormous house, she had the sinking realization that he was the cat and she was the mouse and she had fallen right into his trap.

He was smart, too smart. It was like playing chess against a computer. It was like he knew her every move and decision before she even made it. How could she compete against that? How could she possibly maintain control?

They made their way up stairs and he guided her to his unfamiliar bedroom. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this, a dark room with a large bed, a desk in the corner, and a table beside the fireplace. It looked very much like his study, just with a bed thrown in. Maybe she was expecting a coffin. She really wasn't sure, because now that she was here, it made perfect sense. It was very Klaus.

She pulled her hand from his and meandered to his desk. She picked up a sketchbook.

She looked back at him. "May I?"

He nodded.

She flipped through the pages slowly. Animals. Building. And strange and exotic things that she'd never dreamed of seeing before he offered to show her the world.

Then the pictures shifted, to her. It would have been creepy if she wasn't already aware that he liked to draw her. Besides, it was hard to see such beautiful artwork as creepy.

One sketch was of her in her twenties flapper get up, arms crossed, looking annoyed. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Why do you draw me?" She asked.

"Because beauty shouldn't be taken for granted." He said.

She closed the sketchbook and returned it to his desk.

"Well, I guess it's time." She walked over to his bed and sat down on it.

"Time for what?" He asked, coming over and sitting beside her.

For someone who claimed to want her he made very few attempts to touch her, and when he did it was always innocent, like a hand on her waist when they danced. He never took more than she gave. She wasn't used to it. She was used to hard and fast, boys that took what they wanted and gave little back.

"It, time for it." She said.

He laughed, "We're not going to have sex, love."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Of course we are. I came here to do it, and we're going to do it."

"No," he said, "we're not."

He rested his hand on her knee to calm her.

"But you said you fancied me." She whispered, trying not to feel rejected.

"And you said you were too smart to be seduced by me." He whispered back with a conspiratorial smirk.

"You're not seducing me." She said.

"I know, that's the problem." He leaned in and caught her lips in chaste kiss. "I quite look forward to proving you wrong. A time when you choose to be with me, not because you're hurt or because you want to make someone jealous. When you want me as desperately as I want you. But I know that's more than you can give right now." He ran the back of his hand along her cheek, "So I'll wait."

"Why?"

"We have forever, darling." He smirked. "You may not choose me now. You may not choose me for a hundred years. But I have no doubt that, eventually, you will choose me. And I'm willing to wait. However long it takes."

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	6. Chapter 6

She stayed. Klaus wasn't expecting that. He expected that she would retreat into her carefully constructed walls, the ones she used to conceal exactly how fragile she really was, the ones she used to hide the fact that she wasn't perfect. Part of him had been afraid to deny her, afraid that it would cause her to run, that she would take it as a rejection. He didn't expect her to be mature enough to take it as was it truly was, a compliment. She was irresistible, but he was willing to resist, so that one day he could give her what she needed rather than taking what he wanted.

They lay on his bed, facing on another, close, but not touching. He longed for a time when he could casually trail his hand up and down her arm, caress her beautiful face without the fear of her recoiling from his touch, but they were not there yet.

She stayed, because she was so incredibly lonely. He could see it now. Loneliness had a way of aging a soul. The world might look at her and see an eighteen year old girl, but she was so much more. She didn't want to go home, when her mother would be out working until some ungodly hour. She couldn't call her friends, because either they wouldn't answer or wouldn't come to relieve her loneliness. So she stayed with the one person who offered her the companionship she craved.

She started talking about her father, and from the way tears gathered in her eyes, he could see how deeply his loss wounded her.

"He chose to die rather than become like me." She confessed. She didn't look at him, her gaze fixated on her own hand that rolled the comforter between her fingertips.

"No," Klaus whispered, "he chose to die rather than become a vampire."

"I'm a vampire."

"You're an angel."

A delicate blush darkened her pale cheeks. Her watery blue gaze flicked to meet his eyes. She looked startled, like a wild animal confronted by a hunter.

"You're so horrible to everyone else." She said. "Why are you nice to me?"

"Even devils crave the light." He shrugged.

"You're not a devil." She fluffed her pillow and curled into a tighter ball. He could tell she was cold, but she wouldn't admit it.

She wouldn't be comfortable with the level of intimacy a tender touch or his arms around her would indicate, not with a monster like him, not yet. But he would change her mind. He wondered if she even recognized the intimacy of this moment between them, alone and honest. He wondered if she was old enough to know that intimacy was so much more than sex. If she didn't know yet, he looked forward to teaching her.

"Aren't I, though?" He sat up and pulled off his jacket, laying it over her like a blanket.

She pulled it close, stealing the lasting warmth it offered. She might have thought she could go to bed with him, but he knew better. She wasn't ready for that. And even if she'd gone through with it she would have wound up hating herself for it. He wouldn't have that. She deserved better. Though he might enjoy watching others bend and break, that was not what he wanted for her.

"No, you're not." She whispered.

"Is that so?" Klaus loosened his tie and threw it off the bed before relaxing back down.

"Devils are irredeemable." She said.

"You think you can save me?" Klaus smirked, amused by the audacity of the thought.

"No, but I think you could save yourself," she said, "if you wanted to."

He was startled by her words. He turned to look at her, to discover what answers her eyes could offer. Never before had he met someone would could so unsteady him with mere words. She was so intuitive, so much deeper and more intelligent than anyone gave her credit for.

"And why would I want to do that?" He asked.

"Why don't you compel the hybrids to be loyal?" She countered.

"The same reason I don't compel your affections." He said.

"And why is that?" She pressed.

"It would rather take the fun out of things, don't you think?" He shrugged, rolling onto his back and looking up at the dark ceiling, studying it intently, instead of studying her as he would like to.

"That's not why." Caroline said.

"Then why do you think?" He asked. He wanted to know her thoughts, wanted to understand how she saw him.

"Because then it wouldn't be real." She said. "You dagger your siblings when they let you down, because you can't bear to lose them, for them to really walk away from you. You won't force the loyalty of the hybrids, because then it wouldn't be loyalty. And you won't compel me, because then it wouldn't be real. And you want something that's real." She paused, staying silent until he turned and looked at her, " I think you care, Klaus, and if you care that means you can't be all bad."

"That's high praise considering." Klaus mused.

"Considering you killed my best friend's aunt, broke my boyfriend's neck, and threatened everyone I know and love at least twice?" Caroline asked, she tried to look annoyed, but the hint of a smile slipped through.

"Ah, yes." Klaus smiled back. "Considering that. Hello Stefan."

"Klaus." Stefan said.

Stefan stared at the scene before him. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. Both Klaus and Caroline were fully dressed and just talking. Caroline didn't seem in distress. In fact she seemed perfectly at ease, until she realized they were being observed and then she sat up and hurriedly pushed Klaus's jacket off of her.

"Stefan." She said.

Klaus had obviously been aware of Stefan's presence for some time, Caroline, on the other hand, was caught entirely unaware. Stefan saw a pained look cross the Original's face at Caroline's reaction. Stefan didn't know what he'd expected. Wasn't it enough that she was willingly in the same room as him? He couldn't really expect that she would like him, not after everything he had done. He wasn't a fool.

But love had a way of make even the smartest people into fools. Stefan knew that well enough. How much longer had he clung to Elena than he should have? Even as it became steadily clearer that he was no longer the one she loved.

He couldn't fault Klaus for hoping. Caroline was incredible, she was so much more than he'd originally thought. When he met her, he saw a vapid cheerleader who would throw herself at anything male and attractive. He shot her down brutally back then. Now he could see that she was so much more than he had thought, and she was just beginning to become all that she could be.

He didn't have feelings for her, not like that, but objectively, as a friend, he could see why Klaus would be drawn to the young vampire. She was kind, generous, forgiving. She was everything the Original was not.

"What brings you over so late, friend?" Klaus asked.

The Original's smirk made it clear that he already knew perfectly well why Stefan had come. And the way as he stood he situated himself between Stefan and Caroline made it perfectly clear that, while Caroline might not be a prisoner, Stefan didn't think she was exactly free to leave, and he definitely wasn't allowed to go anywhere near her. If Caroline was going to leave, it would not be with him.

"Jeremy." Stefan said.

"Is he okay?" Caroline asked, an edge of panic crept into her voice as she scrambled across the bed.

"He's fine." Stefan said. "Matt's keeping an eye on him. But he tried to kill Elena."

Caroline's mouth gaped open with horror.

"He triggered the hunter's instincts." Klaus said. "What did you expect?"

"Isn't there something we can do about it?" Stefan asked.

"Get the cure." Klaus said. "Perhaps when he's completed his purpose the urges will subside. At the very least, the doppelgänger will no longer be a vampire, and therefore, safe."

"From Jeremy." Caroline muttered, giving Klaus a pointed look that seemed to amuse the Original.

"So we need to find the cure." Stefan said.

"We don't need to do anything." Klaus smirked. "You need to find the cure. I couldn't care less."

"But you want Elena's blood." Caroline said. She stepped in front of Klaus to see if he was kidding. He wasn't.

Stefan considered, for a split second, grabbing Caroline and speeding off, but given the look Klaus gave him when their gaze met for a moment, doing so would likely be the last thing he ever did. The Hybrid would rip his heart out before they reached the door.

"Her blood became utterly worthless to me the moment your boyfriend proved how easily the sire bond can be broken." Klaus said.

"Ex-boyfriend." Caroline corrected.

Klaus seemed to appreciate the correction, considering the way his lips pressed into a smile.

"Ex-boyfriend." He agreed. "Besides, I'm rather beginning to appreciate the idea of being one of a kind."

"You said you wouldn't kill them." Caroline whispered, taking a step back.

"No, I said I'd rather spend time with you." Klaus said. "I never said I couldn't do both."

"You can't." Caroline said. "Because if you hurt them, I'll never forgive you."

"Never is a very long time, sweetheart."

Caroline glanced back at Stefan. She looked scared, but he recognized something else about her expression. It was the look she had when she steeled herself to face Klaus, to put herself in jeopardy for the sake of her friends. It was her martyr look.

"Caroline." Stefan warned.

"Fine." Caroline said. "If you promise not to hurt the hybrids, if you spare my friends and my mom, if you help us get the cure." She hesitated. "If you promise, then I promise never to leave you."

"Deal." The look in Klaus's eye unnerved Stefan. "But once your precious Elena takes the cure, the cure is mine. I will not allow it fall into the hands of my enemies." He paused, looking at Stefan instead of Caroline, a satisfied smirk twisting his lips. "Because I intend to ensure that never remains a very long time."

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	7. Chapter 7

"What did I just do?" Caroline asked her reflection. Water dripped from the tip of her nose. She thought splashing water on her face would ease the burning sensation that plagued her, it didn't. Her heart fluttered in her chest at a hyperactive pace.

She promised Klaus she would stay with him forever. Forever. What was she thinking? She knew exactly what she'd been thinking. She'd been thinking that he was going to find a way to win her over eventually. He would find a way to make her choose him, either willingly or with manipulation, possibly both. She was thinking that it was better now, under her own terms, then later. Now she was thinking about exactly how stupid that decision had been.

A delicate rap came from the bathroom door.

"Caroline?" Klaus called through the door.

Klaus. Forever. Klaus, the Original Hybrid who killed without a thought. She wondered if he intended to kill her too, simply in a different way. Did he plan to make her into one of his broken toys, manipulated until she was no longer the girl she had been, until all traces of Caroline Forbes was gone and she truly was the monster her father had feared she'd become? Was that the forever she had to look forward to?

"Just a minute," she said, "I just need a…"

The door opened.

She caught Klaus's gaze in the mirror and glared at him.

"Did I say you could come in?" She snapped.

He smirked.

Oh, how she hated that smirk. She hated how it made it painfully clear that he could see straight through her.

"Stefan is leaving." He announced.

"So?"

"He's going to take you home."

"You're letting me go home?" She turned around to face him.

"Why wouldn't I let you go home. It's the place you live," Klaus said slowly, "honestly, love, how clingy do you think I am?"

Stefan didn't speak until they were safely in his car and driving away from the Mikaelson Mansion. He wasn't sure how good the hybrid's hearing actually was, so he wasn't going to take any risks. He just counted himself lucky that, while Klaus didn't trust him, he agreed to surrender his grip on Caroline for the time being.

Caroline sat with her high heels in her lap, drumming her fingertips against the shoes. She was avoiding looking at him, he could feel it.

"Caroline…" Stefan started, not knowing what to say.

"Don't Stefan." She cut him off. "I know what you're going to say. It was stupid. I shouldn't have made a promise like that. I know all that already. I just don't want to hear how disappointed you are in me. I can't take it right now, okay?"

"What you did was incredibly brave, Caroline." Stefan cut off his insecure friend. "You sacrifice so much for your friends without so much as a second thought. I could never be disappointed in you for that. I just wish there was something I could do to get you out of this."

She hung her head, her fair curls fell forward like a curtain, blocking her face from his view. He thought she might have been crying, but he knew she wouldn't want him to know. Caroline didn't like to cry in front of people, she felt like it meant that she was losing control, and she loved to have control. The only times he knew of her crying were when she was tortured, when Klaus broke Tyler's neck, and when her father had died.

"Why are you so nice to me?" She asked.

"Because you're a good person, Caroline." Stefan said. "The very best, actually."

"I'm really not."

"Thanks for the ride, Stefan," Caroline said as she pressed the passenger door shut.

"You sure you're okay to be alone?" Stefan asked.

Caroline glanced back at her house. It looked dark, but she could hear the television going inside.

"I'll be fine." She said, "Besides, I think my mom's home."

Stefan pressed his lips together and nodded, "All right then."

"Good night." Caroline took a step back and waved as Stefan drove away. She felt bad sending Stefan away, she had a feeling that part of the reason he wanted to keep her company was just an excuse to not be alone. He probably could use a friend given the fact that he and Elena were on the outs.

Caroline wanted to be a sympathetic, in fact she had a long and nearly flawless track record of being the person people could turn to with their troubles. At least, since she became a vampire. Well, it wasn't really a vampire thing; it was a growing up thing. She had made efforts to be more understanding since Bonnie called her out on not listening about the whole witch thing, back before she knew about any of the more interesting aspects of Mystic Falls.

But sometimes being a good friend had to take a back seat. She wanted to care about Stefan's problems, but she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to care about anything other than the events of the evening. She didn't know what troubled her more, the fact that she'd made a deal with Klaus or the fact that she'd wanted to.

In between all the terrible things the Original Hybrid did, there were moments, glimmers of something else. All Caroline's life, people had only loved her when it was easy. No one had ever made her feel like she was a prize to be won. If anything she was the consolation prize. She was what people got when nothing better came along. Matt loved her because he couldn't have Elena. Tyler loved her until he found Hayley. But Klaus didn't see anyone else. Maybe he wasn't exactly the ideal guy, given his track record, but he fancied her and he had never wavered on that, not even once.

"Caroline?"

Caroline turned slowly, she knew his voice, but she didn't want to see his face.

"What are you doing here, Tyler?" She grimaced at the sight of him, hands tucked in his pockets. He looked agitated. Maybe Hayley dumped his ass. It would have served him right.

"I came to see you." He said.

"What a coincidence," she faked a smile, "Because you're the last person I want to see right now."

She brushed pass him. He caught her arm, she tried to pull away but he tightened his grip.

"Let go of me, Tyler." She said.

"Did you sleep with him?" His voice cracked.

"What are you talking about?" She pulled against him again.

"Don't play games with me, Care." Tyler slammed her against a tree, hard. "I saw you leave together. Did you sleep with him?"

"It's none of your business." Caroline snapped, struggling against his tightening grip. "We're broken up, remember? Besides, you slept with Hayley."

"That's not the same."

"Isn't it?" Caroline gritted her teeth. She could feel the veins on her face pressing against her skin.

"It's not the same and you know it." Tyler protested.

"Why not?"

"He's a monster."

"We're all monsters."

"He's evil, Care." Tyler said. His voice went soft the way he used to whisper to her as his lips brushed against her skin.

She shivered at the memory. Then the betrayal came rushing back and a rage boiled up in her and she shoved him away.

"He may be evil, but at least he's not a lying, cheating asshole." Caroline spat the words out like they tasted bad. She stormed away from Tyler, toward her house.

"Don't walk away from me." Tyler yelled, chasing after her.

"Don't tell me what to do." She hollered over her shoulder.

He caught her wrist and yanked her around.

"We're not done." Tyler said.

"Oh yes, we are." Caroline said. Rage burned hot in her face and she said the one thing she could think of to really hurt him. "That's why I slept with Klaus."

Honestly, Klaus rather liked the idea of forcing Caroline to stay at the Mikaelson Manor forever. However, he had several things he wanted to take care of, and he didn't think she would approve. Since he had noticed that it was easier to gain her forgiveness than her permission, he thought it was better to allow Stefan to take her elsewhere for the time being.

"Kol," Klaus nodded to his brother as he stepped into the office of Atticus Shane.

The Professor and the Bennet witch sat, tied to their chairs and gagged.

"You asked the strangest favors, brother." Kol mused, studying his hostages. "Might I ask why you wanted them?"

Klaus circled the two tied up. He knew he couldn't harm Bonnie if he wanted his deal with Caroline to stay in place. But he also had no intention of allowing her to run off crying wolf.

"According to the Salvatore Brothers, the professor here is rather knowledgeable about certain topics I have an invested interest in."

"Illuminating." Kol smirked.

"Apparently he knows a great deal about the five."

"I thought the five were dead." Kol said.

"Ah, yes." Klaus leaned close to the professor, studying the man's face. He was so human and fragile. It would be quite easy to snap his neck, enjoyable even, but that wouldn't get him the information he needed. "Turns out they are more resilient than I thought."

"What does this matter to you?"

"I thought that was obvious," Klaus said. "I want the cure."

"I never knew you wanted to be mortal." Kol teased.

"I have no interest in being cured," Klaus said, "but I also have no interest in standing idly by while someone else gets a hold of a weapon they can use against me."

"Ever the strategist, brother." Kol hopped off the desk and began inspecting the bookshelves, knocking books and artifacts off as he went.

Shane wriggled against his bindings, whining into his gag.

"Kol." Klaus reprimanded. "Give it a rest."

Kol raised his hands in surrender, but Klaus knew it was only a matter of time before he started up again. The younger Mikaelson brother was incapable of holding his peace for longer than a few minutes at a time.

Klaus untied the gag and pulled it from Shane's mouth. He opted to leave the Bennet witch gagged, he found her significantly less annoying without her pious "Vampires are bad" routine.

"Do you know who I am?" Klaus asked the professor.

"Klaus Mikaelson. One of the original vampires." Shane said reluctantly.

"Ah, my reputation precedes me." Klaus smirked. "Good. So you know, if you value your life, you will tell me everything I want to know as quickly as possible."

Shane pressed his lips into a thin line. His eyes darted between the two brothers as though trying to determine exactly how serious to take their threats.

The sound of the door knob turning made them all freeze. Klaus clamped his hand over the professor's mouth before he could speak. The door swung open.

"So, problem." A young woman stepped inside, she did not even glance their direction as she closed the door behind her. "I pushed too hard and I think Tyler might have broken up with me."

Klaus's smirk widened, because he recognized the girl almost immediately. "Hello Hayley."

* * *

**Sorry for the wait!**

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	8. Chapter 8

Tyler snarled and lunged at her. Caroline squealed and closed her eyes, suddenly terrified of how he might retaliate. Sure, if he bit her, Klaus could heal her, but there was no guarantee that she wouldn't get him made enough to rip her head off. And that Klaus couldn't heal.

To her surprise, pain didn't come, instead she felt his lips on hers, his hands tangling in her hair. She moaned against his mouth and of their own accord her hands grabbed at his shirt and she was kissing him back.

And it felt good.

Until Hayley popped into her head. Hayley and Tyler, their naked bodies entwined. She pushed him away in disgust.

"What the hell are you doing?" She snapped, wiping her mouth and spiting on the ground.

"Showing you that it's not true." Tyler said. "You didn't sleep with Klaus. I don't believe you."

"Well, that's because I'm lying!" Caroline huffed and crossed her arms. "But that doesn't change the fact that you forfeited the right to kiss me or object to who I sleep with the minute you slept with that were-skank."

"You don't understand, Care." Tyler protested. He took a step toward her, his voice and actions so much gentler now. He could be so gentle and good to her, and her heart ached for that version of him. But he was also rash and inconsiderate. He never put her first, not once. The one time he'd put her first was when he rescued her from the town counsel, but it turned out not to even be him. Once again it was Klaus. Klaus saved her when Tyler bit her accidentally, he rescued her from Alaric, and he came for her when the town counsel abducted her. Klaus might have a terrible track record in other areas, but he had a tendency to always come through for her when she needed him.

But Tyler… When he'd found his were-buddies torturing her, even after she'd helped him through his transformation, he didn't do a single thing to help her. And then, after she'd been like a really good girlfriend, he went and slept with Hayley.

"I don't understand?" Caroline asked sharply, "Please explain to me what exactly I don't understand? Did you not cheat on me? Did you not lie to me?"

He grabbed her hand, "I love you."

She yanked her hand away from him, "You don't get to say that to me. Not anymore."

"Please, Care." He whispered. "I was out there trying to break the sire bond so that I could come back to you. You can't imagine what it's like changing a hundred times in a row. Hayley was the only reason I got through it."

"So that's your excuse? You break your sire bond to Klaus and what? Found yourself sired to Hayley, so obviously you had to sleep with her?"

"No," he said, "Care, I just meant that it was a mistake…"

"Sired to Hayley." Caroline repeated. She wasn't quite sure what she was thinking, but it felt as though something was clicking into place. Sire bond. Devotion. Blue dress. Red dress. "Oh my god."

Elena was sired to Damon.

"I have to go." Caroline said and ran away at vamp speed.

Klaus fished his buzzing phone out of his pocket, he was startled to see Caroline's Forbes name on the caller ID. Startled, he couldn't help but smile a bit at the fact that she was calling him. He'd sent her away and she was reaching out to him.

He glanced at his brother, who was expertly extracting information from the teacher and the wolf girl. Kol really was a master at that sort of thing. Klaus preferred the chase, which was why he allowed Katerina to elude him for five hundred years. It was more satisfying to know that she was forever looking over her shoulder, waiting for death.

But Kol, Kol was a master of pain. He knew how to torment, how to drive a person mad. Often it proved a little too theatrical for Klaus's taste, but no one was better at getting answers.

"I assume you can handle this?" Klaus asked his brother. Kol just smiled. Klaus answered his phone, "Caroline Forbes, to what do I owe this exquisite pleasure?"

The professor let out a blood curdling scream.

"Do I want to know what's going on there, where ever you are?" Caroline asked.

"Probably not." Klaus replied.

"Whatever." He heard her sigh heavily. He could only imagine the exasperation written on her beautiful face.

"What do you need, sweetheart?" Klaus pressed. "You see, I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"Elena." Caroline said. "What you were hinting at earlier. You think she's sired to Damon, don't you."

Clever girl. Klaus's lips curled in delight. Not only was she like a walking, breathing work of art, but in her beautiful head was such a quick brain. Klaus couldn't imagine what the rest of those teenage morons would do without her. He looked forward to making them find out.

"If you're asking me, then surely you've already drawn your own conclusion." Klaus said. "Admit it, you just wanted an excuse to hear my voice." He heard her wince. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just a bad idea to vamp speed barefoot through the woods." She said. "Splinters. " She paused. "But I'm right, though, right? Elena is sired to Damon. I know it's like one in a million, but I'm right."

"That would be my guess." Klaus confirmed. "Good night, Caroline."

He ended the call and turned back to the hostages.

"So where were we?"

Caroline skidded to a stop on the gravel driveway in front of the Salvatore boarding house. The house looked dark despite the light from several of the windows. Stefan's classic, whatever type of care it was (Caroline really didn't care), was parked in front of the house. Caroline walked past the car but stopped short when she saw Stefan slumped on the ground at the front door his head hung dejectedly.

"Stefan?" She said. He looked up at her. "Stefan, what's wrong?"

"Listen." He said.

She furrowed her brow in confusion, but then she focused her hearing and her eyes widened in shock.

"They're…"

"Don't say it." Stefan begged.

Caroline bit her lip. She wanted to blurt out that Elena was sired. That it wasn't her fault she was acting this way. But she couldn't form the words. Instead, she walked to the door and slid down to the ground beside her friend. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered.

He nodded.

She rested her head on his shoulder and he rubbed circles on her hand with his thumb.

"You're not wearing shoes." Stefan noticed.

"Yeah, I ran here." She said. "Didn't figure my high heels would survive the trip, and they're really cute, so sacrifices had to be made."

"You're wonderful, Caroline." Stefan breathed into her hair.

Caroline smiled against his suit coat. "So are you."

"Wait." Stefan leaned away from her, forcing her to lift her head off his shoulder. "Why did you run here?"

Caroline stared at him, wide-eyed, trying to formulate her thoughts. "You're not going to like it."

"Caroline?"

"So you dropped me off and Tyler was waiting for me." Caroline said. Stefan paled, concerned. "We got in a fight, but something he said reminded me of something Klaus said earlier about the way Elena's been acting."

"And?" Stefan prompted.

"And, I think she's sired," Caroline said, slowly, "to Damon."

"Silas?" Kol recoiled at the name. "The cure is buried with Silas?"

"Yes," Shane said, wearily, slumping against the duct tape that lashed him to the chair.

"Then I say to hell with the cure." Kol said, backing away from the Professor. He turned to his brother. "If we know what's good for us, we'll leave it buried."

"It may have slipped your notice, but I'm not the only one looking for the cure." Klaus said.

"Then we kill everyone who knows anything and wash our hands of the whole matter." Kol said, picking up an ancient looking weapon from a shelf and moving toward the professor.

Klaus frowned and grabbed his brother's arm, "Hold on for a moment."

"You're rushing head long into danger, Nick." Kol said, sounding desperate and panicked. "Just because you're the resident big bad, doesn't mean there isn't something far worse out there."

"What are you so concerned about, little brother?" Klaus said, glancing at the bound professor, his curiosity peaked.

Kol sighed and took a deep breath.

"A few hundred years ago I ran across a group that worshiped Silas." Kol said. "They believed that he would rise again and when he did he would trigger the end of all time. If you're so worried about something that could end us, brother, I'd be more worried about him than the cure."

Klaus nodded, mulling over Kol's words. He could do as his brother said, slaughter everyone who knew anything about the cure. Melt down the sword. Forget about all of it. But it would cost him his deal with Caroline and it wouldn't even guarantee that this immortal his brother feared would stay buried.

"All right, so waking this Silas would be bad." Klaus said.

"Very."

"So then we find the cure and use it to put down Silas so we can be sure he never rises." Klaus said. "Two birds, one stone."

"No." Shane protested. Klaus walked over to the professor and snapped his neck with a clean, swift jerk.

"Ah, that's better." Klaus smiled. "I found him rather weasely, didn't you?"

The Bennet witch screamed into her duct tape gag and the pretty werewolf watched him with wide eyed horror.

"I don't think this is wise," Kol said, "what if we fail?"

"When I want something," Klaus smirked, "I find a way to make it happen. You should know that better than most." Klaus pulled out a dagger and rolled it over slowly in his hand, "So tell me, brother, are you with me, or are you standing in my way?"

* * *

**So, writer confession... When I'm writing Klaus's lines, I'm totally muttering them out loud in his voice! P.S. I do a terrible Klaus impression, but it helps me get into the character! **

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	9. Chapter 9

"Sired?" Stefan asked incredulously. "That's impossible."

"Not impossible, just highly unlikely." Caroline said. "It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. You said so yourself. And since Elena's turned, it's like she's become Damon's lapdog."

Stefan's face fell. "You're right."

"So what do we do?" Caroline hopped up to her feet, pacing the porch. Now that they knew what the problem what she was ready to jump into action and find the solution. "I say we go in there, throw Damon into your dungeony basement and get Klaus to compel some sense into Elena."

"No." Stefan said. "That's what I want to do, believe me, but we shouldn't."

"Why not?" Caroline asked.

"Because the best and most lasting solution is to make Elena human again." Stefan said. "We need to find that cure."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to finish Jeremy's mark."

"Okay," Caroline nodded. "When do we start?"

Stefan laughed, sadly, getting to his feet. "Not tonight, Caroline."

"What makes you think I won't say I'll help you and turn on you later?" Kol asked.

"Well, you could, but that would be very stupid." Klaus said. "Because I am going to do whatever it takes to get that cure with or without your help. Which way do you think I'm more likely to succeed in killing Silas?"

Kol frowned. "And we'll use the cure to kill Silas?"

"And then I'll see to it that no one uses it against our family, ever." Klaus promised.

"All right, brother." Kol said. "You have my word."

They shook hands.

"But what about the girls?" Kol asked, remembering to remaining living hostages.

"Bennet witches always seem to come in handy, so we'll keep her."

"And the wolf?"

Klaus's lips curled into a dark smile, "Oh I have plans for her."

"Ow, ow, ow!" Caroline whined from the bathroom counter top.

Stefan tried to hold her foot still, but she wriggled like he was tickling her.

"I would be done already, if you'd just hold still." He hissed through his teeth.

"Well, it hurts." She said, pouting.

Stefan gave her a stern look and she slouched back against the wall like a scolded puppy. He couldn't suppress a smirk as he pulled out yet another splinter. For someone so smart, sometimes Caroline Forbes really was an idiot. Running barefoot through the woods, what vampire in their right mind thought that was a good idea?

Obviously, Caroline. The answer made him smile. Despite the sadness crushing down on his chest, he couldn't help but see her foolishness for what it was, caring. That was the one thing the pretty blonde vampire did better than anyone else. She cared, arguably, too much. She figured out what was up with Elena, realized Stefan was in grave danger of getting hurt and nothing, not even a pair of sensible flats, could deter her from rushing to his aid.

He dragged out the last splinter and sat down the tweezers. He looked over her foot one more time just to check, but it was already completely healed. He released her foot.

"All done."

Caroline straightened up and slid to the edge of the counter.

"Thanks," she said.

She held out her hand expectantly. He took them and helped her down. The cramped bathroom brought them closer than he'd intended. Their bodies almost touching, their hands still clasped, he looked down and met her startlingly blue gaze. He couldn't help but think how much their color reminded him of the sky when a storm had just cleared. Fresh and clear, her eyes were so very different from Elena's dark eyes. Elena's eyes seemed to hold a thousand years and countless sorrows in their depths. Caroline's, on the other hand, seemed to promise relief and hope.

He thought about kissing her. Pulling her in so there was no more distance between them. He thought about lifting her back onto the counter, her dress rucking up as she wrapped her legs around him. He thought about having his way with her right there with her mother down the hall. His pulse quickened. Would she let him? She had a desperate need to fix people, would she want to fix him now with all the sharp and broken pieces of his heart left behind by Elena?

He couldn't help but remember back when they'd first met and he'd rebuked her at a party, because he was so intent on getting to know Elena. He had to know the girl with Katherine's face. He'd told Caroline that they would never happen. Now he couldn't help but wonder if never was a bit too strong of a word.

"Caroline." He couldn't tear his gaze from her lips. It would be so easy to bridge to gap between them, to kiss her. Elena was moving on, why shouldn't he. Didn't he deserve some happiness?

"Caroline." Echoed a different voice. Klaus. The original sounded so amused that Stefan though he might know the secret thoughts rushing through his mind.

Stefan released Caroline's hands and stepped away from her.

"Klaus." Caroline said, turning her beautiful eyes away from Stefan. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He said.

"Thank you captain obvious." Caroline countered. "And why did you come?"

"Do you think we could do this somewhere more private?" Klaus asked.

Stefan didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking. The knowledge of why, made Stefan bristle. The original didn't feel threatened by Stefan, because he knew the truth that Stefan was just beginning to recognize. Even if Stefan wanted Caroline, if his thoughts were more than just a fleeting impulse, Klaus would never let him have her. Maybe that was all this was. Maybe he was just now recognizing the value of the effervescent blonde as she slipped from his reach forever.

Maybe never hadn't been such a stretch after all.

After Stefan had volunteered to show himself out, Caroline showed Klaus to her bedroom. He had been there before, but it felt different to her now. Before she had been sick, dying. She'd been unable to do much more than throw a few barbed comments in his direction. Now she was letting him in. She wasn't going to sleep with him or anything, that ship had sailed, but she was letting him in.

"Does my mom know you're here?" She asked.

"No, I came in through your window." Klaus gestured to the open window. "Not that it matters, your mother loves me."

"My mother hates you." Caroline rolled her eyes, this moment was feeling a little to Twilight for her. She wasn't thrilled at the idea of Klaus sneaking into her bedroom at all hours of the day and night. She crossed to the window and slammed it shut.

"Everyone hates me." Klaus's lips pressed together, he wasn't smirking, but his eyes were. He sat down on her bed without invitation. He kicked his feet up and crossed his arms as he slouched against the headboard. "Except you."

"I hate you." Caroline said, without venom.

"You wish you did. Two different things, sweetheart." He chuckled. Caroline crawled onto her bed lay beside him, careful not to touch him. She'd already done enough damage to their complicated relationship for one day. "So, should I be jealous?"

"Of what?" Caroline asked.

"Stefan." Klaus said as though he liked the way the younger Salvatore brother's name rolled across his tongue. "The Ripper."

Caroline stiffened. She hadn't thought much about what had happened in the bathroom. For just a moment she'd thought Stefan was going to kiss her, which would have unlocked about a billion confusion questions she didn't want to deal with right now. But then she'd come to her senses, because Stefan would never try to kiss her. He was far too in love with Elena to do something like that.

"He's in love with Elena." She said.

"He's in love with a girl who no longer loves him back, and maybe never will again." Klaus said. "I don't think it's such a leap to imagine he might fall for the beautiful best friend who has so much more to offer."

"Don't be silly." Caroline said. "Stefan doesn't see me that way. Never has, never will."

"A man would have to be a blind, deaf, eunuch not to see you that way."

Caroline laughed coldly. "Tell that to an impressive list of guys that would be able to prove you wrong."

"Boys." Klaus said. "Fools. None of them worthy of you."

"Well, Stefan is one of many boys you don't have to worry about." Caroline said.

"Good." Klaus turned so he could look at her. She didn't give him the pleasure of meeting his gaze. "Because I don't like it when people try to take what's mine."

Caroline lurched out of the bed and turned on him.

"Let's get something perfectly clear, sweetheart." She said, seething. "I am not yours. You do not own me. I promised that I would stay with you. That's it. Not love. Not like. And certainly not ownership."

"You did what?" Caroline flinched at the sound of her mother's voice.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

"Mom." Caroline paled as she spun around to face her mother.

Liz Forbes looked disheveled and half asleep in flannel pajamas, but her eyes were wide and confused. Her gaze darted between her daughter and Klaus, who lounged on her daughter's bed.

"What's he doing here?" Distasted oozed from her words like venom.

"Discussing terms," Klaus said.

"What terms?" Liz asked, her voice low and dangerous.

Klaus smirked, he thought that if he were a mortal man, he would do well to fear Sheriff Forbes. But it had been far too long since he was human for any lingering fears to overcome him.

"Mom… It's not what you think." Caroline started.

"I think it sounds like you made some kind of deal with this psychopath." Liz said.

"Okay, maybe it is what you think." Caroline cowered under her mother's withering look.

"Why, Caroline?" Liz demanded. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Because," Caroline said, "it was the only thing I could do to protect the people I care about."

"Take it back." Liz said.

"I can't."

"You just said it yourself, he doesn't own you." Liz pointed out. "So you can take it back."

"Fine," Caroline said, Klaus flinched. "Maybe I can take it back, but I won't."

"Caroline, he's a monster." Liz said, "Don't you know that by now?"

"Of course I know that! But this is my choice." Caroline said, she reached out and grabbed her mother's arm. "Mom, this is what I can do to save people."

"If it makes you feel better," Klaus said, "this deal of hers has already prevented the death one of her friends. And that's just today."

"Thanks," Liz spat, "but it really doesn't."

Klaus shrugged, unperturbed by her hatred.

"I think it's time for you to go." Liz said to Klaus firmly.

"If I go, she goes." Klaus said, rising from the bed and straightening his tie before extending his hand to Caroline as though he were once again asking her to dance like he did the night of his mother's party. "Come, Caroline."

Caroline looked between him and her mother, looking cornered and afraid.

"Don't do this, Caroline." Liz said.

Caroline swallowed hard and slipped her cold fingers into his proffered hand, "If he goes, I go, Mom."

"He's going to be the death you, Caroline." Liz said. "I'm sorry, but if you're choosing this, I won't sit back and watch you get yourself killed, or worse become a real monster like him."

"Mom, please." Caroline begged

Liz held up her hand to silence her daughter. "Caroline, I think you'd better go."

* * *

"She kicked me out." Caroline said. She knew that wasn't exactly true, but it still felt like a blow to her stomach. She had been tortured by vampire slayers and werewolves, but this hurt worse. She had reached a sort of understanding with her mother after she became a vampire and things had been better between them since she died than they had ever been when she was a selfish and narcissistic teenage girl. But now they were broken again and Caroline was afraid that this time there wasn't anything she could do to fix it.

She needed her mother to stand beside her now more than ever. Couldn't she see that Caroline made this deal for the greater good? Maybe she had ulterior motives, motives she wasn't sure she even entirely understood yet, but mostly she was doing this for the greater good. Quid pro quo. Klaus had something she wanted, for him not to slaughter her friends and family, and she had something he wanted, her.

It made sense. It wasn't like her mom hadn't made the very same call when it came down to Caroline's life. She had made a deal with Klaus too. Who wouldn't, if it was the only way to save the people you loved?

"You can always come home with…"

"No." Caroline snapped before Klaus could finish his sentence. He smirked.

Caroline sat on the front steps of her home, holding the handle of her suitcase. So much had happened since she'd left the Miss Mystic Falls pageant with Klaus, she would need about a week to processes all of it. The last thing she needed to do was add moving into the Mikaelson Mansion to her already unbelievable list.

"You're going to have to eventually." Klaus pointed out.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically, "but I think I'll hold on to my soul for as long as possible."

"Do you really think that you are so easily corrupted?" Klaus asked.

"No, I just don't trust you." Caroline pressed her lips together and gave Klaus a disdainful look that probably would have been more convincing if she hadn't kissed him a few hours ago. "I'll just stay with Bonnie for a few days until my mom cools off."

"Ah, well that could present a problem."

* * *

"You killed Professor Creepy?" Caroline asked, her voice a shade off shrill.

"Yes."

Klaus couldn't help but smirk at her nickname for the suspicious and, as of tonight, rather dead Professor Shane as he drove the both of them back to his home, driving far slower than necessary. Since he'd managed to coax her into going home with him after all, he wasn't keen on rushing the journey. He expected once he stopped the car that she didn't intend to talk to him for quite some time after what he'd done. He hadn't broken the terms of their deal, but he had certainly toed the line.

She wouldn't be pleased.

"And you are holding my best friend hostage in your living room under the watch of your psycho little brother?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god!" She said, "And you wonder why I don't trust you!"

"Actually, I don't wonder." Klaus said.

She shot him a scathing look.

"I thought our deal meant something to you."

"It does." Klaus said. "Which is why Bonnie Bennett continues to breathe."

He parked in front of his spectacular place of residence and shut off the car. Caroline let out an exasperated sigh and got out of the car. She stormed into the house without waiting for Klaus.

"Kol?" Klaus heard her shout as the door swung shut behind her.

He grabbed her suitcase and followed her in.

By the time he reached the living room, Caroline was untying Bonnie as Kol stood in the doorway, watching.

"Excellent work, brother," Klaus drawled, "you do understand that the point of standing guard is to prevent exactly this from happening."

Kol shrugged, "What can I say? After a thousand years with Rebekah, I've developed a healthy respect of angry blondes."

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked Bonnie, pulling the gag out of her friend's mouth.

"They killed Shane." Bonnie sobbed. "And Hailey, I don't know what he," she shot Klaus a scathing look, "did to her."

"Hailey?" Caroline recoiled at the female werewolf's name. She glanced back at Klaus, who shrugged in feigned innocence. She rolled her eyes at Klaus as she pulled Bonnie into a hug, "It's going to be okay, Bon. I'm going to take care of everything. I'll take you home right now."

"Actually, you won't." Klaus said.

"What?" Caroline snapped.

"Like it out not, Bonnie has been privy to some rather sensitive information and I would rather she didn't pass it around to those who would get in my way."

"You can't keep her here."

Klaus couldn't help but find the way her eyes flash brightly with indignation incredibly attractive. She really was a lovely creature. He looked forward to exploring every faucet of her complicated, delicate ego.

"She will be kept exceptionally comfortable and will be released as soon as possible." He assured her, but judging by the way her lips pressed together in silent rage, she wasn't appeased. Eager to regain some of her favor, he threw her a bone, "As soon as I have the cure she will be free to go."

Caroline's eyes widened, "You know how to find the cure?"

Klaus's lips pressed into a self-satisfied smirk, "I know how to find the cure."

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

"There is a perfectly lovely room for you upstairs." Klaus said.

Caroline shot him a dirty look as she yanked her suitcase handle from his grip.

"There aren't words for how incredibly not interested I am," she spat as she backed away from the door of the basement bedroom so he could close and bar it shut, effectively locking her in.

"That's not what you said earlier," Klaus's gazed flicked past her and he smirked wickedly, "in bed."

Caroline gapped after him in shock as he slammed the door leaving her alone so suffer Bonnie's condemning stare.

"You slept with him?" Bonnie said, her voice shrill with disbelief.

"No," Caroline backpedaled, "I didn't sleep with him, I just kissed him."

"You kissed him?" Bonnie's volume steadily climbed, "As in you kissed him, not the other way around?"

"Okay, it's more complicated than that."

"So simplify it." Bonnie said, she crossed her arms and her gaze made it perfectly clear that there was not possible explanation she'd find satisfying.

"Can you just accept that I've had a really strange day?" Caroline asked, rubbing her aching temples.

"You had a strange day?" Bonnie asked, "That monster killed a man in front of me."

"I'm sure he did what he thought he had to do."

"Now you're justifying his actions?" Bonnie backed away from her, "What's happened to you, Caroline?"

Caroline felt herself bristling under the accusation, "I'm trying to save Elena. I'm trying to save all of you, actually. But you wouldn't see that. No, you're too busy being pious and self-righteous and pretending that you're less of a monster than the rest of us."

"I'm not a monster," Bonnie snapped.

"But I am?" Caroline couldn't control the hysteria in her voice. "Is that what you're saying?"

"You don't want to do this with me right now." Bonnie said, turning away from her.

"No, I think I do." Caroline grabbed her friend's shoulder and yanked her back around, "you see me as a monster, don't you? You have ever since I changed, haven't you? You see me as a rabid pet to be leashed or put down, whatever's more convenient."

"Caroline." Bonnie backed away, her eyes wide in fear.

"I'm a monster." Caroline said, she felt her fangs descending and her eye going black, not with bloodlust, but with rage, "You see me as a monster. Just say it."

She shook Bonnie and dropped to the ground screaming as crippling pain attacked her head. It stopped as quickly as it started and she found herself cradled in Klaus's arms. She looked up at him in confusion. Overwhelmed by the pain she hadn't noticed him come back into the room. His eyes were wild with rage as he glared at Bonnie.

"Care, I'm so sorry." Bonnie started, her hand fluttering to her mouth in horror at her actions.

Seeing that Caroline was no longer in pain, Klaus rose to his feet. Caroline grew cold with fear and caught the front of his shirt to stop him from doing something rash. He was snarling, but he stopped at Caroline's pleading expression.

"Don't," she whispered softly.

His eyes calmed and he sank back down to his knees. Tenderly, he brushed her hair from her face, studying her for any sign of lingering damage.

"I'm okay," she assured him, she shot Bonnie a cold glare, "Just get me away from her."

Klaus helped Caroline to her feet and guided her out of the room. She waited until the door was secured behind them before she let out the sob she'd been holding at bay. Klaus cupped her face in his hands.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded.

"No," she shook her head, "it's just, for the first time, I actually do feel like a monster."

"Caroline Forbes," Klaus said calmly, "I have seen plenty of monsters in my time, I can tell you one thing for certain, they were nothing like you."

* * *

Stefan opted to stay with Matt and Jeremy. Sure Jeremy might try to stake him in his sleep, but it was still better than going home. He couldn't bring himself to face Damon and Elena, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able look at them again. He hoped he'd be able to bring himself to forgive them someday, but not now. He shook out the blankets that Jeremy had grabbed for him from the closet, making the couch into his temporary bed.

He jumped, surprised by a rap on the front door. He made his way to the door and looked up the stairs. Jeremy stood at the landing, a stake in his hand.

"You gonna get that?" Jeremy asked.

Stefan flipped the deadbolt and pulled the doorway. Kol stood on the front porch, the lights casting a halo on his dark hair. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his lips twisted in a confident smirk, he didn't seem to care about the stake in the hunter's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, slowly descending the stairs.

"What? No hello for your old friend?" Kol teased. "Truly, I'm hurt."

"I'm not going to ask again," Jeremy said, slapping the stake against his palm threateningly.

"What are you going to do?" Kol mocked, "Give me a splinter?"

"I'll think of something."

"Jeremy," Stefan warned.

"Yes," Kol said, "listen to Stefan. After all, I come under a white flag."

"Is that so?" Stefan asked.

"Indeed," Kol said, "you see, my brother has recently come by some sensitive information regarding the cure. He requires a hunter to obtain it. Since you're so eager to cure your sister - so, you know, you can stop trying to kill her - he thought you might be interested in lending a hand."

Jeremy's lips pressed together as he mulled it over, "I'll think it over."

"Fine," Kol shrugged, "We leave at eight in the morning. Don't be late."

Kol turned and hopped down the front steps.

"I didn't agree." Jeremy called after him.

"You will."

* * *

Klaus watched Caroline sleep, nestled safely into the couch in front of the dying fire. She'd refused to go to her room, not wanting to be alone, so he allowed her to follow him into his study while he made arrangements for their travel. A down feather had worked its way halfway out of the throw pillow and it danced about with her every breath.

She was always lovely, but she was never more perfect than in the moments when her pretenses slipped away and she surrendered her every care. Gently he sank down beside her on the couch. He reached out and brushed a blonde curl away from her lovely face. She was beautiful. It was her beauty which he noticed first, but in a thousand years he'd seen many beauties. However, he had never seen a girl made up so entirely of contradictions. She was strong and weak, timid and fierce, perfect and broken.

He saw her beauty first, but it was everything else about her that made him fancy her.

He sensed someone watching him and stiffened. No one but his family could sneak up on him like that. Kol wouldn't return for some time and Rebekah was safely tucked away with a dagger in her chest where she couldn't cause any more trouble. She'd be in a terrible rage when he woke her up, but it was better for everyone that she remain exactly where she was for the time being. With his other siblings accounted for, that left only…

"Elijah." Klaus turned to see his older brother standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression gracing his face.

"Niklaus," Elijah replied.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus glanced at Caroline. He wasn't sure what to do. Elijah was far too intuitive for Klaus's liking. He was wondering how much his brother had seen and he was afraid that Elijah would read more into it if he moved away from Caroline than if he stayed where he was.

"Kol called me."

Klaus growled, "Of course."

"You should have called me yourself."

"I would have," Klaus said, "if I wanted your help."

"Niklaus," Elijah said, "I have stood by you all this time, do you really think I would turn my back on you now?"

"Yes," Klaus said, "I do." He felt bitterness rising in his words, "We both know the only reason you're here is because you want something from me. So what do you want?"

"I want to help you get the cure." Elijah said.

"And then?"

"And then, we'll talk." Elijah shrugged casually.

Klaus rose to his feet, pacing in front of the fire, struggling to keep his eyes from straying back to Caroline and betraying him.

"I don't trust you," Klaus said.

"I never thought you would."

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

Caroline woke on Klaus' couch. The fire had died and her head felt fuzzy, the lingering damage from Bonnie's mental attack. Thoughts surged to the surface of her mind that she didn't want to think about, the hate-filled words that had passed between the once best friends. The way that Bonnie had looked at her made her shudder. Bonnie looked at her as though Caroline Forbes, the girl she knew and loved, was gone and the only thing left in her place was a monster.

Caroline wanted to huddle in a dark corner and cry. But Caroline Forbes didn't fall apart when things got tough. She'd endured torture at the hands of a pack of werewolves as well as her own father. She'd survived a countless impossible situation. She was the former Miss Mystic Falls for god's sake. She could kick ass and look great doing it. She wasn't going to let one little thing send her in a downward spiral. She was stronger than that. She was going to pick herself up, paint on a smile, and pretend that nothing in the world could tear her down.

"Good morning."

Caroline tensed, the accent was right, but the voice was wrong. It wasn't Klaus. Carolinr looked back and saw Elijah standing in the middle of the room, smoothing the sleeve of his impeccably pressed suit.

"Elijah," She breathed, her head swimming with a sudden burst of animalistic fear. Her eyes darted around the room, like a scared bunny looking for an exit, but she knew perfectly well she wouldn't make it five steps. While she knew that Klaus was by far the most dangerous of the Originals and perfectly capable of killing her, should she cross him, most of the time she wasn't afraid of him. She was smart enough to be wary, but she rarely felt as though she was in any danger of suffering his wrath. The only time she ever felt truly feared him was when he was very calm. In those moments she could see the family resemblance between him and Elijah.

Elijah scared her. Elijah was always thinking, always calm. He wasn't plagued by the same bursts of passions and powerful feelings that prevented Klaus from wanting to kill her unless absolutely necessary. Not to mention, she had the distinct impression that the brothers were at odds with one another and neither would be opposed to taking an action that would make the other one suffer.

There weren't very many opportunities to make Klaus suffer. Not now that his full hybrid potential was unlocked. He had been desperate to cure Elena for a while, but since the discovery that the sire bond could be broken the hybrids had lost their appeal. That left Klaus with one weak spot in his otherwise impenetrable armor. Caroline was quite sure that being the chink in Klaus's armor was a very precarious place to be.

Caroline swallowed her fears and put on her most composed and haughty expression. She might be afraid of the eldest Original, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

"Miss Forbes," Elijah said, "How very nice to see you again."

His gaze scanned her in a slow, studious manner. She could tell he was sizing her up, trying to determine how much Klaus cared for her and the degree to which he could use that affection to his benefit.

Caroline didn't see the point in lying with pleasant platitudes, so instead she got to the point and asked, "Where's Klaus?"

"Niklaus has gone to fetch the hunter's sword." Elijah said, "We will be leaving shortly."

"I'd better get ready, then." Caroline said as she scrambled to her feet.

Before she could take a single step toward the door, Elijah stood in front of her, his hand resting on her shoulder. It seemed like a friendly enough gestured, but Caroline got the feeling that he was showing her just how easy it would be for him to snap her neck… or rip her heart clean out of her chest, should he choose to do so.

"Actually," Ezra said, "I think we ought to have a chat."

The silent threat was perfectly clear despite the pleasing manners that conveyed it.

Caroline swallowed hard. She knew, of the Originals, Elijah was the one her friends considered the most trustworthy, but she didn't think any of them were the slightest bit trustworthy. They all had their own agendas and they would hurt anyone, including each other, in order to get what they wanted. Elijah was the worse, in her opinion, because unlike Rebekah and Kol and sometimes even Klaus, Elijah was playing a long game. The others were ruled by emotions and fits of passions that flared and then tempered. Elijah masked his plans with friendly smiles and carefully planned deals. There was no guarantee that you would even know what the eldest brother was after until his intended goal came to fruition.

"Klaus will be back soon." Caroline said, unsure whether Elijah cared about his brothers attachment to her, or if she would be any safer in his company because of the knowledge, judging by his serene smile, she very much doubted that Klaus's partiality toward her made her in any way safer with Elijah.

"Then we had best speak quickly," Elijah replied.

Caroline nodded to show that she was ready to listen, though she was still trying to determine the best way in which she could put a significant amount of distance between herself and Klaus's terrifying brother.

"Niklaus wants the cure," Elijah surmised, "he wants to use it on Elena and then destroy it so that no one can ever use it on him."

"I know," Caroline said, she didn't see any reason to play coy or dumb. She thought that would only serve to aggravate the ancient vampire.

"Personally, I don't care about the cure, or what he does with it, but it is rare for Niklaus to want something this much." His eyes flickered, and Caroline couldn't help but wonder if he was talking about the cure… or her. "To want something enough to make a deal in order to ensure he gets it."

"What does this have to do with me?" Caroline asked, she was painfully aware of his hand still resting on her shoulder. Even though it rested there as light as a butterfly, his touch felt more like a viper waiting to strike.

"You know how it feels to have my brother rip the person you love away from you." Elijah said, emphasizing the word rip in a way that made Caroline have to suppress a shudder. "I know he forced your hybrid boyfriend to leave town."

"Well, Tyler came back." Caroline says, "And he's not my boyfriend anymore."

Elijah's face twisted with what looked like satisfaction for a brief moment, before it smoothed into his usually collected expression. Caroline felt a feeling of dread, she wasn't sure what Elijah gleaned from her comment, but it appeared to be something he thought he could use.

"Regardless," Elijah said, "my brother has no consideration for the hearts of others. But I think maybe you do."

"Go on," Caroline said, pursing her lips. She didn't feel safe refusing Elijah, but she also wasn't sure what Klaus would think of her making a deal with his brother. Would he see it as a betrayal? If he did, it was his own fault, leaving her in a position to have to figure out how best to be protected from his family.

"Because of my brother, the woman I love has been on the run for over five hundred years." Elijah said, "If I reach the cure first, if you help me, I can barter for Katarina's freedom."

"Katarina, you mean Katherine?" Caroline asked, "You want me to help Katherine Pearce?"

Elijah nodded, solemnly,

"She killed me!" Caroline couldn't suppress her outburst.

"Yes, I know," Elijah said with a sympathetic nod, "but are you not better off because of it?"

"No thanks to Katherine." Caroline spat.

Elijah fell silent and pensive, obviously evaluating his next course of action.

"She has done terrible things," he admitted, "but can you say your hands are clean?"

Caroline paled at the memory of the man she killed when she first turned. The memory of the look of disgust on Bonnies face that very evening, the sting of condemnation from a person who was supposed to always be on your side, made Caroline want to cry.

"We've all done things to survive, things we are not proud of," Elijah pressed on, sensing her waver, "All I ask is that you don't condemn her to this endless torment for actions taken out of desperation."

"I don't know," Caroline said.

"Please," Elijah said, "at least think about it."

Caroline studied the eldest Original, for the first time she wondered if he wasn't quite so different from his siblings as she'd imagined. He concealed his emotions well, but she suspected that he was not as removed from them as she'd initially expected. Oddly, that soothed her fear of him. Perhaps he was calculating and dangerous, but all of the Originals were dangerous. It was just a matter of determining each of their weaknesses. Rebekah's was her insecurities. Caroline was Klaus's. And Elijah's was hope.

"Okay, I'll think about it." Caroline said, offering him just enough hope to go on.

* * *

Klaus waited patiently in the tunnels beneath the Lockwood Estate. He had found the tunnels that ran beneath Mystic Falls to be quite useful in the months since he first came to town. The system was so expansive that a person was unlikely to stumble upon something accidently. The only way to find something down there was if you already knew where to look. That, along with the protection spells he'd convinced a witch to place on several of the larger caverns, made it the ideal location for storing his more valuable possession.

Klaus drummed his fingers against the hunters' sword, which rested across his lap, with growing impatience. He had removed the dagger from his sister's chest nearly half an hour earlier. There never seemed to be a standard for how long it took his siblings to rouse after their forced slumber, but Rebekah always seemed to take the longest. Klaus couldn't help but wonder if she had some control over it. It would be very like her to prolong the wait for dramatic effect.

With a sharp intake of breath, Rebekah launched up, clutching the sides of the coffin. She looked nearly wild with rage.

"Hello Rebekah," Klaus said pleasantly.

"You bastard." She growled.

Klaus's skin prickled at the insult. He'd been called far worse, even by his family, but his parentage was a sore spot. The others never pointed out that he was only their half sibling, but they were all aware of the fact, and the knowledge barbed like a thorn in his mind.

Most of the time he didn't mind the difference, often it pleased him. His mother's adultery had made him the most unique creature on the planet. He was the one true hybrid, the werewolves he'd sired were just bastardizations of his true potential, he saw that now. He would have wiped them out, every last one, but there was one thing he valued more than his wounded pride and that was Caroline.

Caroline was honest, often to a fault, since she'd made a deal with him, he was sure she would keep her side unless he gave her an out. He had no intention of doing so. He'd meant it when he said that he'd wait for her, as long as it took, but he also realized that her friends would try to pry her from his grip at every turn. But that made the next few days crucial.

Not only did he have to get his hands on the cure, allow Stefan to use it on his precious doppelgänger so that troublesome crush he was developing on Caroline would evaporate, but Klaus needed to sway Caroline before they ever even reached Silas's tomb. By the time he had his hands on the cure he wanted to be sure that whatever came next Caroline would stay. He wanted her, not because she considered it her duty to keep her word and protect her friends, he wanted her to want him back. He wanted her and his only hope to keep her was to make her believe she was in love with him.

"Sister," Klaus said pleasantly, "There's something I need you to do for me."

Rebekah pulled herself out of the coffin and glowered at Klaus.

"Why would I ever help you?" She snarled.

"Because, if you do," He says, "I'll let you use the cure."

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

Caroline let the hot water beat down on her skin. She wished it could burn away the past few days. She wanted to forget Tyler's betray, forget that she'd ever loved him. She could still taste his kiss on her lips, the memory tasted bitter. Every memory she had with him felt tainted now by his betrayal.

She couldn't forgive him. Well, maybe she could, but she didn't want to. She was tired of people who made her feel second-rate with their supposed love. She was tired of the neglect, tired of wondering what was wrong with her.

Her mind slipped away from Tyler, and another set of lips locked to hers invaded her mind. She thought of the kiss she'd shared with Klaus, it promised of satisfaction, of forgetting. She knew he would do a really good job of making her forget everything that was hurting her for while. But he'd denied her the relief, refused to let her escape from her own mind.

She couldn't stop her mind from placing his lips on parts of her body he'd never touched, his hands exploring her body, his teeth raking across her skin.

She thought back to her birthday, the way he stroked her hair while she drank his blood. His blood, coursing through her, healing her.

She knew that blood sharing was an intimate act, but she'd never experienced it that way. Damon had used her as a blood bag when she was still human and Tyler's bit could kill her. She wondered if that was part of the reason she had such a hard time accepting her vampire nature. She hadn't had the most pleasant associations with becoming a vampire. She was abused by Damon while she was human, she was ruthlessly murdered by Katherine, her first day as a vampire she'd accidentally killed a man. Everyone who was supposed to love her had rejected her at some point because of her vampirism.

Maybe that was what both drew her to and repelled her from Klaus. He was unapologetically bad, not evil like her friends liked to think, but bad. He was a vampire and he did what a vampire was supposed to do. He killed people. He manipulated everyone around him in order to get what he wanted.

Caroline envied him in a way. She envied the way he could take what he wanted without a trace of remorse. He didn't have to think about repercussions, he just acted.

Caroline, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking. She couldn't escape her own head. She couldn't do the things she wanted to do, the things her body and instincts screamed at her to do because she was weighed down by the worry of what those actions would make her.

For the most part, her friends didn't see her as a monster, but she saw herself as one. So as long as she could see herself through their eyes, she didn't have to face the monster she saw in her own reflection. But if she let herself have feelings, real feelings, for Klaus, it would all shatter. Her friends would turn against her, of that she was certain.

* * *

Caroline stepped out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel. She scrunched her hair, shaking free some of the remaining water. Klaus couldn't help but stare at her. She was the picture of perfections. Her smooth skin, flawless and pale as cream. It took all the control he could muster not to drop the sword in his and cross his bedroom, dragging her into his bed and casting her towel aside.

He longed to ravage her, to feel her nails dig into his back and her eye darken with desire for him.

Caroline looked up, she looked surprised to see him, but she made not false show of modesty. Klaus respected that, she was insecure, but at the same time she was vain and confident. There was never a doubt that Caroline Forbes was stunning.

"When did you get back," she asked.

"Just now," Klaus replied, laying the sword on the bed.

He had a feeling that if he kissed, she'd let him. She'd let him take what he wanted from her. But that wasn't the same as winning her. She told him once that he didn't connect with people because he didn't even try to understand them. He had no real interest in understanding people on a whole but he had taken it upon himself to make a true study of her. He would understand her. He thought she was rather desperate to be understood, secretly.

She's spent so long in the shadows, overlooked and neglected by those who ought to worship her, he wanted her to know how bright she shown, he wanted her to know what she was worth and still choose him. Only then, only when she fancied him in return, would he truly feel as though he'd seduced her.

Klaus believed that a woman like Caroline Forbes deserved to be seduced, to have a great love. He didn't know if he could ever truly deserve her, but love wasn't intended to be deserved or earned, it was just supposed to be given. If it wasn't freely given, then it wasn't love.

He wasn't sure what made her different. He was a thousand years old and before her he had never cared what anyone thought of him. He had been reviled and thrived on the hatred.

She saw the good in him when nobody else bothered to look. But what he wanted more than anything was for her to see the bad in him and not look away. He wanted to love someone who was more good than bad. More than that he wanted someone good to love him in return.

"We leave soon, do you have everything you need?" He asked.

Caroline nodded, she grabbed her clothes and walked back to the bathroom. She hesitated at the bathroom door and looked back at him.

"Klaus?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful with Elijah," She said, "I don't think it would be wise to trust him."

Klaus nodded. Caroline closed the door and when he heard it click shut, Klaus turned and left the bedroom.

He found Elijah where he'd left him in his study.

The Eldest Original stood before the dying fire, slowly swirling a scotch in his hand.

"What did you tell Caroline?" Klaus asked.

"The truth," Elijah said, "She didn't tell you?"

"I think she told me as much as she thought she could without betraying your confidence," Klaus said.

"So she passed?" Elijah asked.

Klaus thought of the fragile little newborn still so young, she was only barely beginning to tap into the depths of her abilities and still she stood fearlessly while caught in a tug of war between two ancient vampires who could kill her without any real effort. Though she was young and weak, Klaus couldn't help but feel as though her iron will matched even his own. Once she came into her own she would be a wonder to behold.

"She passed," Klaus said.

* * *

Caroline felt a surge of relief when she saw Klaus in his room. Her relief overwhelmed her unease at finding herself alone in a room with Klaus in nothing but a towel. Her mind flashed back to the day in the woods when she made out with Tyler, not knowing that he was really Klaus. He'd told her then that he would take her up on hot hybrid sex. But at the right time and in the right place.

He had held the sword in one hand and looked uncommonly pleased with himself. She was still shaken with raw terror that Elijah would realize she was going to play him, that she had no interest in helping Katherine (He could say all he liked, Katherine was far from a victim of circumstance. She was ruthless and dangerous and Caroline would sleep much better knowing that someone had her on a leash).

She also knew that Klaus would not take kindly to her keeping something from him. The one time since she'd discovered that he liked her that she'd ever been afraid that he would harm her was when she played him, acting as a distraction so her friends could rescue Elena from the room where Bonnie was now locked up like a prisoner.

With Klaus, honesty wasn't a two-way street. It was one way, his way. He would lie and manipulate, but he did not react favorably to being lied to and manipulated.

When Caroline came back out of the bathroom, fully dressed, she found Klaus lying beside the sword, his hands clasped behind his head. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, but Caroline knew better. He was like a cat which at first glance looked perfectly relax, until you noticed its flicking tail, and realized that it was alert and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Klaus glanced over to her. He had only two speeds, perfectly calm of a fit of passion, and Caroline didn't think she'd ever grow accustomed to how quickly he could switch between the two.

Caroline climbed onto the foot of the bed and sat crossed legged, watching Klaus, trying to judge which of the two speeds she was likely to face.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

Klaus sat up and turned the sword slowly in his hand, studying it.

"I think it's better if I'm the only one who knows the whole plan," Klaus said, "No offense, but I don't trust your friends."

Caroline shrugged as though it was of no consequence to her, but inwardly she was dying to know. Her inner control freak hated being kept in the dark. Klaus smirked and Caroline couldn't help but wonder if he'd read her mind.

"We have a ten-thirty flight," He said, volunteering something which appeased her slightly.

"Flight? We're flying?" She asked, a little taken aback, but she tried to mask her concern with a shrug, hoping the hybrid hadn't read her panic.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14

At eight in the morning, Jeremy pounded on the front door of the Michaelson Manor. Stefan shrugged his backpack up his shoulder and kept a safe distance from Jeremy. He was unsure of how safe it was to be close to the hunter. He didn't think Jeremy was carrying any stakes, doubted that the younger Gilbert was stupid enough to make a run at one of the Originals when he had no way to take them down. However, since he was running on new, unfamiliar and unpredictable instincts, Stefan wasn't about to bet on him.

Matt had wanted to come with them, but after much convincing, Stefan managed to get the loyal human to recognize the sense of staying behind and making sure that Tyler didn't do anything stupid like try to follow them. Stefan had no doubt that Klaus wanted to keep his end of Caroline's rash deal, but that didn't mean it was safe to push him.

The Original Hybrid was rash and jealous and was still likely to kill someone he saw as competition for Caroline's heart, deal or no deal.

The front door swung open and on the other side stood Kol.

The youngest of the Original's beamed, an expression that could have been interpreted as friendly if he hadn't looked so smug. Stefan felt a familiar flare of annoyance and dislike for the Original. Kol always looked smug, even when he was smiling. He always gave the impression that he knew something you didn't and was just biding his time to screw you over.

Stefan hated each of the Original brothers, but the reasons varied. He hated Elijah for the way he looked at Elena and for the way Elena insisted on trusting him more than Stefan thought was wise. He found Kol's constant grating smugness loathsome, but that wasn't nearly as troublesome as the youngest brother's unpredictable nature. But he hated Klaus most of all, for his cruelty, for forcing him to turn off his humanity, for the knowledge that he had once considered the Hybrid something akin to a brother, but now, most of all, for the unbreakable hold he seemed to have over Caroline.

"So happy you could make it, old chap," Kol said, stepping back to allow Jeremy entrance.

Jeremy shot him a scathing look as he passed into the house.

Stefan followed Jeremy, but Kol cut him off at the door, saying, "Sorry, friend, but I don't really see how you're necessary to the endeavor."

"Let me in," Stefan growled kicking his foot out to keep the door from closing.

"What are you going to do?" Kol asked, "Are you going to make me?"

Stefan could hear in his tone that he found the very idea of Stefan trying to make him do anything hilarious. Stefan glowered at him. He knew he was no match for any of the Original's, but he wouldn't be turned away. He was well away that Caroline was slipping away from him, but he would not give up on her, not when she needed him most. He would not allow her to be manipulated. If she chose Klaus of her own accord, he would accept that, but only if she chose him of her own free will.

"Do knock it off, Kol," Klaus said, his familiar voice floating down from a distance, "Let the ripper in."

The door opened and Kol stepped back, allowing Stefan to pass. Stefan looked up and saw Klaus descending the curved staircase, carrying a floral backpack that Stefan couldn't possibly imagine was his own.

"You never know when you're going to need someone to rip the heads off some innocent girls." Klaus said, looking positively smug.

Stefan didn't know how he'd ever endured the friendship of the Original Hybrid, with or without his humanity.

Looking around the foyer, he felt a flicker of panic. Where was Caroline?

He was hit with wave of self-loathing. He'd been an idiot to step back and allowed Klaus to cart her off, trusting that Klaus's infatuation would protect her. What if he was wrong?

"Stefan," Her voice caught his attention, light and soothing, easing his panic.

He looked up and saw her at the top of the stairs. She was dress in a floral blouse and jeans with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, but she looked stunning. He'd seen her in elegant ball gowns with her hair and makeup done up to the nines, but those looks all paled in comparison to looking at her through new eyes. He had hoped that the sudden burst of desire he'd felt for her the night before had been a reaction to Elena's betrayal, the mad stray thought of a desperate man with a crushed heart, but even now with a new morning, the feelings burned in him and they only seemed to have intensified. He was totally and completely screwed.

Caroline rushed down the stairs and across the foyer, throwing her arms around his neck. He wasn't sure if she did it for comfort or to offer comfort to him, but either way, he appreciated the feeling of her clutching him close.

He closed his eye and enjoyed the relief for a moment, but when he opened his eyes, his gaze met Klaus's cold stare. He was walking a precarious line. Sure, Klaus had an odd sort of affection for Stefan, at least the Ripper version of him, but it was nothing compared to his desire for Caroline. Stefan had no doubt that if push came to shove, Klaus would rip his heart out without a second thought.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, before he pulled away from Caroline.

"I'm fine." She assured him.

"He didn't hurt you?"

Stefan caught a flash of rage in Klaus's eyes and he was quite certain that Caroline had just saved his life unknowingly, with her deal. He longed to just take her hand and drag her out of this place, away from the dangerous game of which she'd placed herself in the middle.

"He didn't hurt me." Caroline assured him, but from the way she avoided his gaze, Stefan was afraid that he'd done something far worse.

He was managing to win her over.

Stefan couldn't be angry at Caroline, Klaus had once charmed him into a brotherly comradery. He was well aware of the charm the Hybrid welded when he so chose. There were few people who would be able to withstand him whose favor he really wanted to earn. And Caroline, sweet Caroline, so willing to see the best in people even when it wasn't there, was bound to see something in Klaus that she could and should try to save. It was inevitable that she would find something in him that she thought deserved love. Stefan had no one to blame but himself for letting it go so far.

He threw her in Klaus's path time and time again as bait, never once considering the danger to her. How could he have been so blind and selfish? How had he been so preoccupied with Elena that he never realized how incredible Caroline was? He didn't realize how everything that made her such alluring bait also left her is desperate danger of catching a monster.

* * *

Caroline held a scotch close to her chest as she flipped through a sketch pad on Klaus's desk. A fight broke out when Klaus had Kol fetch Bonnie from the basement. Jeremy wasn't exactly pleased to see his ex-girlfriend tied up like a prisoner. Caroline had no interest in the fight, no interest in seeing Bonnie until it was unavoidable, so she retreated to Klaus's study. She knew they wouldn't leave without her. Klaus would come for her when they were ready to leave.

She paused on a sketch of herself from the decade dance, her hair curled and pinned up. She'd been angry with him for abusing Tyler's sire bond (Which he didn't realize Tyler had managed to break) just to prove he was the alpha male. He was smug and self-satisfied and she was quite certain that she hated him. Then he told her he was leaving and the idea of his being gone, really gone, made her stomach turn in a way she hadn't thought was possible.

"I'd ask you to come with me, but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer." He had said.

Was she ready now? Did she offer him this deal because she wanted to protect her friends, friends that never gave her wellbeing a second thought, or because she was finally ready to accept his offer to let him show her the world.

"Almost as lovely as the original."

Caroline flinched, surprised by Elijah's presence beside her, studying the sketch that had captured her attention.

He looked at her, surveying her with the professional interest of an art critique.

"Thank you," Caroline said, trying to handle his compliment with grace.

"I can see why my brother is enthralled with you, Miss Forbes, you are quite captivating." Elijah said, "I have only seen him treat one other woman with such marked attention."

"Katherine," Caroline guessed.

"Of course, his interest in her was purely due to her doppelgänger blood." Elijah said, "But you have some familiarity with Klaus's attention, I think. I love my brother, but he is relentless in his passions, whether love or hate. Imagine, if you will, kindling his wrath for the simple transgression of not wishing to die. Imagine being forced to spend the next five centuries always running, always looking over your shoulder. I would not wish such a fate on my worst enemy, would you?"

Caroline suppressed the urge to laugh. Would she wish Klaus's wrath on her worst enemy? That was literally the question. She weighed her options carefully. She could spurn Elijah's request, refuse to help him and by so doing kindle his resentment. Or she could bury her well-warranted grudge toward Katherine and earn herself an ally among the Mikaelson clan. She had put herself in the middle of a high stakes poker game when she'd made a deal with Klaus. Forever with the Original Hybrid was anything but simple because it also meant an eternity with his siblings. Klaus could offer her a degree of protection, but there was no keeping his siblings from exacting revenge on him by harming her should the opportunity arise. Klaus could take care of himself at odds with all of his siblings, but Caroline thought it would be a bad idea to miss out on an opportunity to form a lasting alliance with Elijah.

"I want you to make me a promise," Caroline said, snapping the sketch book shut and turning to face Elijah.

He nodded to indicate that he was listening, but she knew that he would not blindly agree to terms. He praised his word too highly to be that reckless with it.

"Promise me that you will keep Katherine far away from me." Caroline said, "That you will not allow her change anyone else and do what you can to keep her from killing anyone."

Elijah looked amused, "Anything else?"

"Yes," She said somberly, "I want you to promise me that if you discover you're wrong about her, that she isn't content to accept a truce that you will do what needs to be done."

Elijah's looked suddenly startled. She could tell that he'd underestimated her; he'd thought her an easily manipulated child. He was wrong. She wanted his guarantee that he could and would pull the trigger if necessary.

Elijah smiled and the expression was the closest to warmth she'd ever seen him express, "I do believe you'll make an excellent addition to the family, Miss Forbes."

"Do accept my terms?" Caroline pressed, ignoring his comment because she found the idea of being one of the Mikaelson's absolutely terrifying.

"I do." Elijah said.

"Then I will do what I can to sway Klaus," Caroline said, offering Elijah her hand, which he took and shook once, a gentleman's agreement.

"That is all I can ask," Elijah said, he hesitated before adding, "and I thank you, sincerely… Caroline."

"Louie," Caroline said, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Who is Louie?" Elijah asked, looking confused.

"Casablanca."

They turned around to find Klaus standing in the doorway. Caroline wondered how long he'd been listening. Would he be angry with her for making a deal with his brother? With all these deals she was making she was starting to feel like she belonged in the Godfather, which was kind of true. In a way, Klaus was the Godfather of the vampire world. With all his plots and plans, they were all under his control; they were all puppets playing out his schemes.

"How can you not know that?" Klaus continued, looking at his brother in disbelief. "It's a classic." Then he paused, and grinned malevolently, "Oh wait, I do believe you were indisposed for that one."

Caroline assumed that indisposed meant daggered and in a coffin. She thought was Klaus's way of reminding Elijah who was really in charged. He had taken his older brother down before and, if pushed, he would do it again.

There was a moment of tense silence between the brothers, but it broke when Klaus looked at Caroline and said, "The cars are loaded, we are ready to go."

She followed Klaus out of the study but looked back and Elijah and shot him a look that she hoped would convey that she would do what she could. He gave a tight smile and nodded. Caroline felt a flutter of relief knowing that she's secured a friend in the eldest Original, because she had the distinct impression that Elijah's good will would someday save her life.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15

The three Original brothers guided Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Stefan through the airport. If either Bonnie or Jeremy considered trying to escape, they made no attempt. Caroline was glad of it, her deal and the fact that they were both necessary to get to the cure would protect them from Klaus, but she had no such guarantee from his brothers.

As they boarded the plane bound for Canada, Caroline found herself split off from the others. Kol and Elijah guided her friends back into coach while Klaus guided Caroline to a set of seats in first class.

"What's this?" Caroline asked as he stowed her bag in the overhead compartment. "Why aren't we with the others?"

"You're not the sort of girl anyone should put in coach," Klaus said, indicating for her to take the window seat. "Besides, I wasn't keen on the idea of sharing you."

Caroline slid over into the window seat. She didn't know how to take his remark. The first part flattered her, but the second part… it sent an uneasy sensation through her. The memory of that odd almost moment in her bathroom with Stefan the night before swam to the surface of her mind. It hadn't been anything and she was quite certain that Stefan didn't harbor any secret longing for her, but she had a feeling that Klaus saw the incident as far less innocent.

She wasn't afraid for herself, but she did fear what he might do to Stefan else, if provoked. When he was with her, he gave the impression of being tamed, but she was positive that the Original was far from domesticated.

He was charmed by her, wanted her, but he was not ruled by her. She would be the one bent and broke it this love affair occurred, not Klaus. She was the one in jeopardy. She was sure that if she allowed herself to develop any real feelings for him, if he ever decided that he had really, truly won her, that would be the moment when she would lose her allure.

One thing was certain about Klaus Mikaelson, he broke the things he loved most. He'd ripped out his own mother's heart, stabbed each of his siblings and locked them in coffins for centuries at a time. For Klaus, love was control and Caroline believed that in many ways it was far more treacherous to be loved by him than hated.

As the plane began to back out, she inhaled sharply. It started down the runway accelerating faster and faster as it prepared to lift off. Caroline squeezed her eyes shut, trying to subdue her rising panic.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked.

"I've never been on a plane before." She admitted.

Before she could react, his lips crashed against her own and her breath caught in her chest. Her instincts took action before her brain and she found her fingers tangled in his shirt before she came to her senses. Then she pushed him away abruptly, as though she hadn't been kissing him back and hadn't just kissed him herself the night before.

"What was that?" She snapped, wiping her mouth in what she hoped translated as disgust.

"A distraction," Klaus said, gesturing out the window. "Now we're safely airborne."

Caroline looked out the window and let out a little yelp. She wasn't sure that 'safely' was the right sentiment for being hurled through the air in a metal deathtrap. The ground was already far below them and it looked strangely unreal and sort of like a patchwork quilt from the great height. Without thinking, she slipped her hand into her companions, craving assurance that she wouldn't fall out as she leaned closer to the window.

Klaus admired Caroline freely as she stared out the window, her eyes wide with rapture. Once her fear subsided, she began to enjoy the experience of sailing through the clouds. In her amazement, Klaus was pleased to find that she had forgotten to take her hand away from his. Or perhaps, he hoped, she'd chosen to prolong the contact, maybe this was an indication that her hostility toward him, if not cured, was at least cooling.

His affections for her had not ebbed, they only burned with greater and more reckless passion. She was perfectly safe with him, even if she didn't believe it. He, on the other hand, was in grave danger in her company, grave danger of loving her more than he should.

He tried to convince himself that he accepted her deal because it gave him the upper hand in their relationship, that he had the control, but that lie was losing sustaining power. Every time he burned with jealousy at the easy way in which she touched Stefan, the lie faltered. It killed him to know that the only thing tying her to him was her deal, whereas there were more strings than he knew how to cut binding him to effervescing blonde.

But it was all worth it, no matter what price he ended up paying, for the moments like this when she let him love her. And he did love her, there was no sense in denying it, no sense in fighting it. He loved everything about her, even the things that made him want to hate her, want to tear her to pieces, just to alleviate the pain she caused him. He even loved the simple things, like the way she looked out the window, rapture lighting her beautiful face. He could only hope that one day he could get her to look at him that same way. She was quite the prize to be won, and he intended to win her, whatever the cost.

* * *

Caroline was up in first class alone with Klaus and Stefan didn't like it one bit. Caroline wasn't anybody's fool, but Klaus was a master manipulator. He could manipulate a person into something and leave them thinking it was their idea from the start. Stefan was about to slip out of his seat and sneak up to check on her, but the moment he moved, Elijah, who sat beside him sedately with his eye shut, spoke.

"Don't even think about it."

Stefan tried to come up with a valid excuse to leave his seat, but being a vampire ate up all the ready excuses. He didn't need to use the bathroom. He also didn't need to get a drink (unless he was planning to feed on one of the passengers, which he did not think would go over well even if he wasn't firmly back on bagged blood).

"He's not going to hurt her," Elijah said as though reading Stefan's mind, "I assure you, Miss Forbes is perfectly safe."

"I doubt you believe that any more than I do," Stefan snapped. He knew there was no point in lying to the eldest Original. Elijah was too clever.

"Actually, I do believe it," Elijah said, opening his eyes and meeting Stefan's with a steady gaze, "Miss Forbes, it appears, has captured my brother quite entirely. Perhaps more than either of them is even aware. I've been his confidant for centuries and I have never seen him like this."

"Are you trying to convince me not to save my friend from your brother?" Stefan asked.

"No, simply informing you that the only thing you will accomplish if you go charging at him like a bull is getting yourself killed." Elijah said, mildly.

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't think you quite understand my brother, Stefan." Elijah said, "When he loves something, he never wavers and he never lets go."

"What are you saying?" Stefan said.

"Only that if he loves her, as I suspect he does, she is already lost to you."

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

**In honor of hitting 60 reviews yesterday, I thought I'd reward my wonderful readers with an extra update this week! Enjoy!**

* * *

Just one more task, Rebekah told herself. One more favor for Klaus and then she would be free.

It didn't seem so bad when she thought about it that way. She'd done many reprehensible things for Klaus, she'd done even more for herself. What did the well being of one more girl matter when the scales were already tipped so far against her, when her soul (if she had one) was already so marked by darkness.

Rebekah could always figure out what it meant to be one of the good guys once she was human. She justified that it would be easier then. Things had a way of getting blurry and confusing when life was infinite. Even the vilest actions had a way of justifying themselves. What was one person's life to an immortal? They were going to die eventually anyway, she'd just ended their lives a little ahead of schedule.

Rebekah could hardly remember what it was like to be human. But she remembered in excruciating detail what it was like to wish it. She remembered lying in bed with her hunter lover thinking he would never betray her. She thought perhaps even if he knew the truth about her he would see her as the exception. She had believed it, but she wasn't willing to test it, so she had kept her and her siblings secret carefully guarded.

It didn't matter though, because he already knew. Somehow he had discovered her secret and he plunged a dagger into her chest.

The man who she had intended to help find at the cure, wanted to spend her life with, a short human life with, double crossed her, driving a dagger dipped in the ash of the white oak into her heart and leaving her to desiccate in a frozen sleep.

The betrayal still stung as if it was new. The memory still brought tears to her eyes, but now as not the time to reminisce on bitter memories. Now was the time to make a new future, a new path.

"Are you going to kill me?" Hayley asked, her large eyes watering with fear.

The female werewolf was not so cocky, so brave now, now when it was full fortnight until the next full moon. It was easy to be brave when you had the power to back it up. Much less when you were at the mercy of others.

* * *

Caroline and Klaus were the first of their group off the plane, so they waited by the carousal for the others.

"What now?" Jeremy asked as other five joined them.

Caroline felt Bonnie trying to catch her gaze, but she didn't pay her any heed. Her head felt okay again, but she still felt a sting of resentment for the attack. Sure she'd gotten worked up, she probably frightened the witch, but Bonnie should have known that she would never hurt her. The whole memory stung, a lifetime of friendship thwarted with a single fight.

Caroline didn't know if they'd ever find a way back to each other, but she doubted it. She was headed down a path that Bonnie would never understand and she would unavoidably make choices that Bonnie wouldn't accept. Bonnie stood so piously stalwart, she would never see another way as valid if it contradicted her own black and white view of right and wrong. Caroline couldn't help it, her views could no longer be captured in black and white. She was changing and her views had to change with her or she'd never be able to live with herself, what she'd become and the mistakes she would inevitably make.

"You'll come with me," Klaus said to Jeremy, "Elijah, take everyone else to the hotel. Kol, make sure everything is in order for the morning."

Klaus's brothers nodded their assent, but Caroline could help but stare at the hybrid. Ten minutes ago they were on the plane and he was jealously keeping her to himself, not willing to even allow the others to sit by her for fear of what? That she might change her mind and try to weasel her way out of their deal?

Now he was just going to dump her on Elijah like she was no different from Bonnie or Stefan.

Just when she thought she had gleaned an understanding of Klaus he did something to unsteady her.

If she'd wondered why Klaus was fine with leaving her in Elijah's care, the reason became apparent when they reached the hotel. Elijah took Bonnie and Stefan to one of the suits, before joining Caroline alone in the other. She knew she couldn't join Bonnie and Stefan, so she didn't bother asking.

Klaus really was afraid to leave her alone with the younger Salvatore brother. Whether because he thought Stefan had feelings for Caroline, or if he thought Stefan was the one person that might be able to sway her resolve, Caroline wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, Caroline was getting fed up with the isolation.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked.

"No," Caroline admitted, realizing that she was practically digging holes in the couch arm with the death grip she had on it.

"Care to share?" Elijah asked.

"I just don't get your brother," Caroline confessed. "I made this deal with him of my own free will, but he's treating me like a prisoner."

"Deal?" Elijah asked.

"That I would stay with him, on the condition that he doesn't hurt any of my friends or family." Caroline explained, "You know, Beauty and the Beast style. You've seen that one, right?"

Elijah smirked, obviously amused by the comparison before confessing that he had, in fact, seen that one.

"Why did you make that deal, Caroline?" Elijah asked.

Caroline shrugged, suddenly not liking the direction this conversation could turn.

"I couldn't stand by and let him kill the hybrids just because they wanted freedom."

"So you sacrificed your own freedom."

"Well I didn't think I was sacrificing my freedom, I didn't realize I was going to be treated like a prisoner."

Elijah tilted his head, considering her thoughtfully before asking, "Would it have stopped you if you had?"

The question stopped Caroline in her tracks. She saved every last one of the Hybrids from a brutal, bloody end, even Tyler, who though she was angry with she didn't want dead. They were more Tyler's friends, but she would have felt terrible if they'd died, especially after helping to get one of them killed to save Elena.

And then there was Bonnie, no matter how much she wanted to hate the witch, they had too much history to be erased by one fight. A fight could ruin a friendship, but it couldn't erase it. Bonnie was written on her heart. Bonnie and Elena where the closest thing to sisters she'd ever had. If the deal hadn't been in place, Klaus probably would have killed Bonnie right along with Shane.

"I guess not," Caroline admitted.

"Be kind to him, Caroline," Elijah said. "Niklaus has loved few, and been loved in return by far fewer. He may be behaving badly toward you, but it is not meant to be malicious."

"Sometimes he means to be malicious," Caroline admitted.

And there was the problem. If Caroline was honest she wasn't afraid of Klaus hurting her, but she was afraid of him. She was afraid that eventually he would do something so horrendous, so evil that she wouldn't be able to justify his actions. What would happen when he did something unforgivable? How could she love someone is she was always waiting for that thing, for the ball to drop? No matter how hard she tried to forget it, there was darkness in Klaus that couldn't be ignored. She wasn't sure if she could accept him, all of him, including the darkness. If that was the case, if she couldn't accept it, wouldn't it be better not to love him at all?

* * *

Klaus didn't like the idea of leaving Caroline alone with Elijah, but he was knew his brother well enough to know that he wouldn't jeopardize his interests for the sake of a petty stab at revenge. Unlike Rebekah and Kol, Elijah wasn't prone to behaving rashly. Elijah wanted something and he knew that his only hope of getting it was to stay on Klaus's good side. Klaus did not trust Elijah's allegiance, but he trust that Elijah would act according to his best interest and for now their goals were aligned.

Besides, Klaus couldn't exactly take Caroline with him on this errand. Though it would in no way nullify their deal, Klaus was quite sure Caroline wouldn't like the measures that had to be taken. Whether or not she'd like it, it had to be done. One of the perks of being the bad guy was having enough foresight to see what had to be done and not have any qualms in doing what was necessary.

They needed a spell to get into the tomb, and to get the spell they needed a hunter with the completed mark. Jeremy had a partial mark and he needed to kill more vampires to complete the mark. Since Klaus doubted anyone of their company would be eager to volunteer, someone needed to provide the kid with vampires to kill. Therefore, Klaus needed to provide him with vampires to kill in an environment where he could ensure that the hunter would not get himself killed.

"What did you do?" Jeremy asked, looking around the club. It had obviously been a slaughter, so Klaus thought the boy was rather daft if he needed an explanation.

"What had to be done," Klaus said coolly as the first of the bodies began to rouse. He reached behind the bar and grabbed the mixologist, such a pretentious title for a glorified bartender. The young man whimpered as Klaus shoved him into the rousing horde of newborns. "Have at 'em."

The mixologist did not last long split between a dozen new vamps, but he lasted long enough. The still hungry vampires then turned on Jeremy smelling the fresh blood pounding through his veins.

"You may need this," Klaus said, handing the new hunter his predecessor's sword.

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	17. Chapter 17

Klaus walked into the hotel suite, covered in blood. Caroline's stomach turned, she could only imagine how many people he'd had to impress to prevent a panic on his way back from wherever he'd been. She didn't have a problem with blood, obviously, but she did mind killing. It made her ill to imagine the carnage Klaus had done in the name of necessity. That was the thing that scared her most about Klaus. He did what he believed was necessary without ever considering if it was right and he never seemed to be plagued with guilt for his rash, destructive action.

She struggled to reconcile both sides of him in her mind. How could someone be so gentle and loving as she'd seen him be one second, and then kill without a thought the next? How could someone devoid of conscious be capable of love?

"Do I want to know?" She asked.

"I doubt it." He said, lightly, as though he hadn't just killed people, and as an afterthought, he tacked on, "The hunter's mark is complete."

The mark. She'd forgotten about the mark. To grow the mark Jeremy had to kill a vampire. To complete the mark, he would have had to kill a lot of them.

Vampires, no doubt, made special for the purpose.

Caroline nodded and got to her feet, retreating to one of the two bedrooms in the suite.

She locked her bedroom door behind her. She felt panic rising in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. What was she doing? What mess had she gotten herself into this time? She knew she couldn't leave now that she'd made a deal with Klaus, he would consider any breech of that deal on her part as permission to slaughter all of her friends in Mystic Falls. She had acted to save lives, but she was starting to think that she'd only succeeded in putting her friends in greater danger.

As much as she tried to ignore the truth, Klaus was capable of terrible things. But he cared for her, and there was something tantalizing about being the one thing someone like Klaus really cared about.

The trouble was, she was teetering on the edge of something. She had one foot firmly planted in her past life and with the other she toed the possibilities which becoming a part of Klaus's world opened to her.

She realized that she would have to make a choice. Either she needed to find a way to accept Klaus, dark side and all, or she needed to find a way out of her deal.

A rap came from the door.

"What's the matter?" Klaus asked.

"Go away," Caroline said.

"Come on, love," Klaus said through the door. Caroline could practically feel him smirking. "I do hope you don't intend to spend the rest of forever locked in your room?"

Caroline remained silent, her inner control freak was tired of feeling like a pawn, being moved to and fro for the sake of someone else game. He probably saw her as a petulant child, but she didn't care. She was tired of being shepherded around by the Mikaelson brothers, tired of Klaus treating her like a possession, tired of the warring thoughts in her own head.

Another, softer knock came from the door.

"Caroline?" Klaus murmured.

Caroline clutched her head, it throbbed with confusion. She felt unsteadied by the past few days. She felt like she was charging headlong into bad decisions but she didn't know how to put on the brake. Every time she thought she had pulled herself together, Klaus did something that made her head swim and she found herself struggling to tread water. She was trying hold on to herself, but she felt like she was being smothered by his more powerful existence. They were playing a game of manipulation but he was a master and she was losing her footing.

She had to keep her distance, clear her thoughts. She had to know her own mind before she came to a decision.

"Please," she whispered, "just go."

* * *

The door to the suite wrenched open and Klaus stood in the doorway. Stefan looked up in surprise, and he saw Bonnie flinch out of the corner of his eye. Jeremy had come back from his outing with Klaus covered in blood with a complete and visible mark stretching up his arm. He had staggered, stunned, into the bathroom and the shower had started, but Jeremy hadn't returned from his shower even though it had been a solid thirty minutes.

"Stefan," Klaus said his voice commanding and expectant, a tone that came from centuries of getting his way.

"Klaus," Stefan replied stiffly.

"Come." Klaus said, turning and leaving the room without waiting to see if Stefan would follow.

For a moment, Stefan considered ignoring the command, but he wasn't entirely sure that Klaus would continue to tolerate his presence on this expedition if he openly disobeyed him.

Rising to his feet, he followed Klaus out the door and stopped only long enough to close the door behind him and catch Elijah's intrigued expression.

Stefan found Klaus standing in the middle of the other suite gesturing to a shut door.

"Make her come out." Klaus demanded.

It took Stefan a moment to realize what was happening and when it clicked, he struggled not to laugh.

Klaus always seemed to admire Caroline's spirit, but now squarely on the receiving end of her displeasure he appeared flummoxed.

Stefan figured rubbing in the Original Hybrid's failure was likely to be hazardous for his health so he went straight to the door and knocked gently.

"I said leave me alone!" Caroline said from the other side of the door her volume escalating with each word.

Stefan had to bite his lip hard to hold in a laugh.

"Now, Caroline," Stefan said, "you're going to hurt my feelings."

There was silence on the other side of the door, but then the lock clicked and the door swung open.

"Come out?" Stefan asked.

Caroline glanced past Stefan and caught sight Klaus. She shook her head and said, "You can come in."

Stefan looked back at Klaus, there was a startling look of fury on his face, but he nodded his assent and Stefan slipped inside.

"Sorry," Caroline said as soon as the door was securely locked, "I'm just making a point."

She glanced at the door. They were both well aware that Klaus could hear and was definitely listening to every word that passed between them.

"And that point would be?"

"That I'm tired of being treated like a prisoner. That I'm not a doll for him to play with." She said, and then louder, directed at the door, "I will not be played with."

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will." Stefan said.

Caroline gave him a comical look, "Did you just quote Jane Eyre at me?"

"Maybe," Stefan said with laugh, "Fits, though, don't you think?"

"Which part?" Caroline asked, "Controlling asshole or…"

"A love you can't escape?" Stefan supplied.

Caroline blanched at the word. She made a little spluttering noise, but no words came out.

"Caroline," Stefan pressed, trying to keep any accusation out of his voice, "are you falling for him?"

Caroline opened her mouth to speak, shut it, and then tried again, "I don't know, he has a way of making things confusing. It's like I'm not sure if my thoughts are mine or if I'm thinking what he wants me to think. Does that make any sense?"

"Sounds to me like he's manipulating you," Stefan said, wary of his words, knowing that if he didn't watch his step the jealous Original would rip his heart out.

"He tries," Caroline said, "but that's not what I mean. It's just; Klaus isn't like anyone I've ever met. His emotions are visceral and it's like they bleed into me, blurring my own feelings. I don't know if I'm falling for him or falling for being loved by him."

Stefan could imagine Klaus's jubilant expression. Caroline as good as admitted that she was in love with the hybrid. Stefan was only her friend, maybe her best friend, so he tried to tell himself that his only investment in her romantic interests where in regards to her happiness and wellbeing, but if that was true, it shouldn't feel like someone had just punched him in the gut.

He struggled to collect himself, seeing her desperate expression looking to him for acceptance. The poor sweet fool. She was too kind, too forgiving. She saw the good in people even when it wasn't there. Klaus didn't deserve her and never would, but maybe if he had her he would try to be the man that she deserved.

Stefan swallowed hard. The words felt like a sacrifice, but what he was letting go had never been his to hold on to, something precious he'd never seen the value of until it was too late.

"Betting on the good someone is never a bad thing, Care," Stefan said, "but don't spend so much time trying to save someone else that you lose yourself, okay?"

Caroline nodded, her lips pressed together in thought.

"He's being such a controlling idiot," Caroline vented, "He's stuck on this crazy idea that you're secretly in love with me."

Stefan let out a humorless laugh.

"It is crazy, right?" She asked, "I mean I don't even have to asked, because I already know the answer." Caroline rambled, because that was what she did when she was nervous, "but you're not harboring some unrequited love for me, are you?"

Stefan studied her light eyes, trying to decipher her thoughts. Was she asking because she suspected he was having feelings stir for her or was she asking so that Klaus would hear him shoot her down?

Stefan opened his mouth and for one insane second he considered admitting that he wasn't entirely sure what his feelings were toward her, but then he remembered what Elijah has said to him on the plane. Klaus would never let go. She was already lost to him.

Stefan forced a smile and squeezed her hand, "You know I love you, Caroline, but only as a friend."

Caroline nodded as though his answer was exactly what she'd expected, but Stefan couldn't help but notice a stray note of disappointment in her voice when she said, "That's what I told him."

* * *

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	18. Chapter 18

Klaus left the suite after hearing Caroline call him a controlling asshole. His blood was boiling at her insult. He'd been called far worse, but for her to say such a thing after everything he'd done for her... He breathed heavily, like a wounded animal. He could feel the wolf stirring inside. The only reason he was in this godforsaken place was because she'd asked it of him. She wanted the cure for her nauseating friends and he was getting it for her. Everything he'd done for the past week had been for her. Why couldn't she see that? What more did she want from him?

She called him controlling, but he felt like dog at her beckon call groveling for scraps of her affection. She called him controlling, but completely ignored the fact that she was the one controlling him.

He was sick of it, sick of trying to prove himself when nothing he did was ever enough for her. As he left the hotel he ran into Kol on the sidewalk, returning from his errand.

"Everything is set for tomorrow." Kol said, sounding bored.

"Damn tomorrow and damn her." Klaus glowered, his temper venomous and foully kindled.

Kol looked at his brother, and his expression brightened.

"Right," He said, "Damn her. You shouldn't have to put up with that kind of treatment."

Klaus was fairly certain that Kol didn't have a clue what he was talking about, but he appreciated the support.

"You know what you need brother?" Kol said, grasping Klaus by the shoulders, "You need a little fun."

Klaus hesitated because anything that Kol considered fun was bound to be something that Caroline wouldn't like. He bristled at the thought, he couldn't please Caroline, no matter how hard he tried, so why should he keep trying?

"Let's go," Klaus said forcing himself not to look back at the light coming from Caroline's window.

If she wanted to bar him from her company, so be it. Two could play that game. If she was so set on treating him with her disapproval, he'd do something worthy of her disapproval.

* * *

Caroline was tired, tired of trying so hard. It was like her friends all held her to a different standard than they held themselves. Stefan ripped a couple girls' heads off, but it was okay because he'd turned his humanity off at the time. Bonnie kept pushing the limits of magic until her grandmother wound up paying the price, but nobody dragged her through the coals for it. Elena slept with Damon, but she was sired so she couldn't be held accountable for her own choices. All Caroline did was kiss Klaus and everybody lost their shit. What would they do if they knew that not only had she kissed him, but was fairly certain she was falling for him?

She could see their side, how could she not? He'd just killed dozens of people without a second thought. If she saw that, knew the things that he was capable of, things that he would no doubt do again, and still loved him, was she any better than him?

She was tired of trying to live up to everyone else's expectations and always falling short. She was a disappointment to her friends. She was even a disappointment to her mother. The only person who didn't make her feel like she was lacking on some fundamental level was Klaus. She was starting to question how it could be so wrong to care for someone who saw her as special when no one else did. What did it matter what he'd done, what he would do?

It wasn't as though any of them could claim their hands were clean.

Would it be so wrong if she just gave in? Everyone thought Klaus was so evil. She wasn't so much a fool as to think he wasn't just as bad as they accused, but he was more than that. His multifaceted personality was so much deeper than they gave him credit for, he wasn't the one dimensional villain they liked to cast him as. He had goodness in him, he had hopes and dreams. He was capable of love. It was easier to cast him as the villain, as pure evil, but it wasn't true.

He was good to her, kind to her, so much so that she was fairly certain that he not only fancied her, he loved her. He loved her. Maybe he didn't know how to love people well, but that didn't mean his feelings weren't just as deep, just as based in goodness as anyone else's. He was capable of love and Caroline felt sure that meant he wasn't evil. He was something far more complicated and far more human. He was damaged.

Caroline knew what it was to be damaged. She knew what it was not receive the parental love that was supposed to be unconditional. They were very different, but she was beginning to suspect that in the ways that really counted, they were exactly the same. They were damaged in the same ways. He hurt and abused because he'd been hurt and abuse. She was suspect of love, because everyone who claimed to love her had proved to be liars. If Klaus Mikaelson was evil, then Caroline Forbes was unlovable. The monster and the victim, they were both exactly what they'd been taught to be.

She finally knew what she had to do, but when she and Stefan left her room she found that Klaus was no longer in the suit. She went to the other room and found Elijah keeping watch over Bonnie and Tyler, but no Klaus.

"Where's Klaus?" Caroline asked Elijah.

"I thought he was with you," Elijah said, giving an unconcerned shrug.

"Care," Bonnie interrupted, taking a step toward Caroline.

Caroline recoiled from her approach, and Bonnie stopped, looking hurt,

"Where's Kol?" Caroline asked.

A flicker darkened Elijah's expression, "Not back yet."

"He's been gone a long time," Caroline pointed out.

"Indeed," Elijah said.

"A suspiciously long time?" Caroline asked.

Elijah's jaw clinched and he was obviously thinking.

"I would say that it is more than a coincidence that Niklaus is gone and Kol has yet to return." Elijah admitted.

"So they're together?"

"I would assume so," Elijah said, straightening his tie.

"And Klaus and Kol alone together is how bad on a scale of one to ten?" Caroline asked, realizing the one other time she knew of Klaus being with Kol was when he'd killed Shane.

"How bad do you consider dark magic, blood sharing, and mass murder?" Elijah asked.

Caroline paled, "We need to find them."

* * *

That damn blonde sucked the fun out of everything, Klaus thought bitterly. The trouble with Caroline Forbes was that she had a way of working her way into his head and taking root in the role of his conscience. He'd done very well for a long time not over thinking repercussions of his actions. He took was he wanted, to hell with the consequences. The only trouble was that now he found himself thinking about Caroline before he acted, thinking of the disappointment, hurt, or disgust his actions would put on her face if she found out.

He growled viciously and ripped into the proffered wrist of the pretty, scantily clad girl. Kol had connections to covens all over the world. His odd younger brother had always preferred the company of witches to that of his own kind. Had they not been turned, Klaus had no doubt that Kol would have followed in their mother's footsteps, becoming the second witch in the Original family.

At first, Klaus had only cared about seducing Caroline, but when she declared herself immune to his charms, he felt determined to prove her wrong and in the process he'd only succeed in making himself fall deeply in love with her while she seemed unswayed by any such heartache.

She was in his head and he couldn't get her out, wasn't sure he'd want her out even if he could manage it. After a thousand years with no concern other than his own wishes and amusement, he had become stagnant, apathetic. Succeeding in breaking the hybrid curse had more to do with pride than a real desire. He'd felt a thrill when he first unlocked his suppressed hybrid abilities, but even those quickly lost their luster. It wasn't until he'd forced Tyler to bite his pretty little vampire girlfriend so that Klaus could manipulate her Sheriff mother in exchange for her daughter's life that he remembered what is was to feel something, to want something.

He'd taken lovers over the centuries, there had been many and the affairs were always brief and ended bloody. He hadn't cared for any of them. They were amusements, distractions.

At first, he had thought Caroline would be just another on the long list.

He knew he wanted her the moment she made it perfectly clear that she thought he was the vilest of characters. He still remembered the smell of her hair as he let her drink from his wrist, fresh and laces with the faint sweet aroma of strawberries. She was beautiful, like all of the lovers that had come before, but unlike the others his efforts to charm her only seemed to strengthen her dislike.

But beneath the surface, beneath her carefully maintained dislike for him he could sense that she too wanted him. They had a connection. She didn't want to want him, likely hated herself for wanting him, but she did wanted him. He saw it in the way she couldn't help but smile at him sometimes, the way her eyes were alight with laughter even when she scowled at him.

She enchanted him and he knew had to have her, and he knew eventually he would. He was willing to wait, but that didn't mean waiting was easy, didn't mean his insides didn't boil with jealously every time he saw Tyler and now Stefan touch her. He wanted her all to himself, he wanted her to be as tied to him as he was to her. He no longer was satisfied with winning her, he needed her to love him. Her deal could give him her life, but it didn't give him her heart and he knew he would not be satisfied with anything less.

* * *

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	19. Chapter 19

Caroline gasped at her surroundings as Elijah led her through the dimly lit building. Witches and vampires were gathered together in the strange place. It was like a fancy club with red velvet couches in alcoves that could be made private from the hallway simply by drawing the thick curtain across the opening. She wasn't sure how many couches there along the hallway, but she could see into some of them. In some, witches smoked something that looked like Hookah, but judging by the bitter smell of the herbs, it was something else.

Stefan had wanted to come with them, but Elijah insisted that someone needed to say and keep tabs of Bonnie and Jeremy. Though, Caroline thought it had more to do with the fact that seeing Caroline and Stefan together was likely to further provoke Klaus. Caroline was glad that Elijah had taken the stand. She didn't want to be with Stefan at the moment. He'd rejected her softly this time, but it still reminded her of the time at the bonfire when he'd shot her down in a far less kind way.

She didn't really think that Stefan's feelings for her had changed, but she had to ask. Partly for Klaus's benefit so he could hear her shot down once again, and partly because there was a little part of her that flickered with a hope that Stefan would like her. It wasn't that she had feelings for him, at least not serious ones, but she had developed a crush on him when they first met and it had never fully dissipated. She knew he'd never see her as anything other than the silly, vapid blonde she'd been when they met, but she still needed to remind herself that he didn't love her. He would never love her.

She needed to hear it, but it still hurt.

As they continued down the hallway, Caroline caught the scent of fresh blood, so strong that she could feel her fangs descending. She took slow breaths until she could feel herself regaining control. She glanced into one of the alcoves and saw two vampires feeding on a beautiful young woman. She looked like she was enjoying herself, but Caroline was sure that she'd been impressed.

"What is this place?" Caroline asked, making sure to stay right at Elijah's elbow.

"This is the seedier side of vampirism." Elijah said, "You could call it a brothel. Humans are paid to allow vampires to feed on them and other services."

He didn't elaborate on those other services, but judging from the sounds coming from behind the closed curtains, Caroline could guess.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"They are paid handsomely," Elijah said.

Caroline could tell that Elijah was just as repelled by the place as she was.

"Does Klaus come to these places frequently?" Caroline asked, feeling nauseous at the thought. She had been foolish enough to think that she was starting to know Klaus, but a place like this rocked all of her preconceptions.

"Not frequently," Elijah said, "Kol is the one who is prone to indulge in debauchery."

"Thank you, walking thesaurus." Caroline said.

Elijah gave her a confused look.

"Do you ever try not to sound like a Jane Austen hero?" Caroline asked. "I mean who says debauchery?"

"What would you have preferred I say?" Elijah asked.

"Call it like it is," Caroline said with a shrug, "Kol's a man-whore."

Elijah's expression twisted into what she thought might have been a smirk. Caroline felt a thrill of pride, there was something rewarding about amusing someone who remained so carefully aloof. She had spent so much time believing the Elijah was the Original to fear, but she was starting to think that he was the one Original with whom she had a real shot at a friendship.

A tall, muscled man with dark skin and light green eyes stopped them.

"May I help you?" He said, "We have several blood types available as well as a multitude of options for couples to enjoy together."

Caroline stared at the man, her eyes wide. She had the distinct impression that she'd just been offered a threesome.

"We are looking for someone," Elijah said, ignoring man's offer.

"I'm sorry," The man said, "But we consider our clients privacy of the utmost importance. I assure you, we will afford you the same courtesy. "

A look passed between Elijah and Caroline, and she was surprised to find that she knew exactly what he wanted her to do. Elijah grabbed the man and pinned him against the wall and Caroline ran down the hall.

"Klaus," She called as she hurried down the passage, "Klaus!"

"Caroline?"

She turned around and found Klaus stepping out of one of the alcoves, pulling his Henley back on, his mouth and chin covered in blood.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus demand, he looked down the hall and saw Elijah pinning the host to the wall, "Elijah, let the poor bastard go, he's just doing his job."

Through the split in the curtain, Caroline could see a woman in lingerie wrapping a bandage around her bleeding wrist. She felt a sting of betrayal, it must have shown in her eyes, because when Klaus looked at her, his expression softened.

"Caroline?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"Stay the hell away from me," She said and whooshed away.

She heard him calling for her, but he didn't catch her until they were in the alley behind the brothel.

"Caroline, stop," He demanded, catching her arm and jerking her to a stop.

"No," she snapped, "You stop."

He went silent. Caroline took a step toward him gazing up at him.

"Why do you always do things like this?" She demanded, "Every time I start to think that maybe I'm wrong about you, you do something else to try to make me hate you."

"Do you hate me?" Klaus asked.

"I want to," She spat out, angrily, "Just tell me this, did you sleep with her?"

"Her?"

"That girl," Caroline huffed, feeling played with, "the one you were having some couch time with."

Klaus chuckled, "Hardly, I'm not so desperate that I feel the need to pay for companionship. She was a snack, nothing more." He paused, "Besides, I figured you'd be too distracted by Stefan to notice I was gone."

"Would you stop it?" She snapped, "If you hadn't taken off, you would have heard Stefan tell me straight to my face that he has no interest in me whatsoever."

"Stefan can say whatever he wants," Klaus said, "doesn't mean it true."

"Stefan isn't the liar here." Caroline snapped.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Klaus said, his temper obviously kindling at the accusation.

"I know that you're in love with me," Caroline blurted it out.

"You don't know that." Klaus said. Caroline felt herself losing her cool, maybe he didn't lie to her, but he sure as hell withheld the truth from her at every turn.

"But I do," she protested, catching his face in her hands, "because I know you, Klaus. That isn't you. You may do terrible things, but you're not evil."

"Maybe you're wrong," Klaus snarled, too angered by her accusation to be aware that she was touching him, "Maybe I am evil."

"No," Caroline shook her head, drawing a step closer. She could remember only four times when they'd been this close. Once when they danced at the Michaelson Manor, again at the decade dance, then when he'd rescued her from Alaric, and then almost twenty-four hours ago in his bedroom.

"You don't know anything," Klaus said. "You're just a stupid, vapid child."

His words stung, but she ignored them, he lashed out when hurt like a wounded animal. She knew that about him now.

"Stop this," she whispered, "Stop pretending you can't be loved just because you're afraid you won't be loved."

"I'm not afraid." Klaus said.

He seemed suddenly aware of her hands on his face, her thumb stroking soothing lines across his cheekbones. She was the snake charmer and he her docile viper.

"Of course you are." She said, "We're both afraid. So let's stop pretending and just be honest with each other, for once."

Klaus's eyes flicked over her face, trying to decipher her thoughts. He nodded, permitting her to go on.

"You're afraid that I'll reject you and I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't." She said. Klaus tilted his head in a silent question, so she continued, "If I let something happen between us, I'll end up broken."

He grabbed her waist with his bloody hands leaving dark stains on her floral blouse. He drew her slowly to him, and she offered no resistance. He caught her lips lightly, testing the waters. She didn't protest, didn't pull away. Instead she found herself kissing him back.

He pushed her up against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her deeply, his hands exploring parts of her body he'd never touch before. Her skin felt on fire everywhere his fingers touched. She felt fresh blood pulsing through his veins. She knew that she should push him away, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to want him, but all she could think of was the last time his blood flowed through her veins.

She dragged her teeth across the sensitive skin of his neck. She felt him inhale sharply. She sank her fangs into his neck, his blood was hot and fresh unlike the bagged blood she'd been strictly on since her unfortunate first feeding. His fingers wound through her hair as he held her to his throat. She drank, greedily, until he pulled her away.

"I'd never hurt you, Caroline." He murmured against her throat, before his fangs sank into her.

She felt a thrill of excitement, knowing that his venomous fangs held no danger to her while his blood ran through her. She wanted this, wanted him. And he wanted her.

For now.

The thought stopped her in her tracks. She was making a mistake. She could feel it in her bones. He said he would never hurt her, but it was a lie. Maybe he believed it, but it didn't make it any less of a lie.

"But you will," She said as a delayed response.

"What?" He asked, his eye dazed with lust.

"Hurt me." She said, lowering herself to the ground, "You will. It's what you do. You break things. Your family, Katherine, Stefan, even Elena. You play with people's lives and leave them in pieces."

"Not you," Klaus protested. "You're…"

"Special?" Caroline offered, "I'm not special. I'm just a girl who's daddy didn't love her, forever afraid that no one else will either. I'm not special, and eventually you will see it. And when that happens I don't want to become just another one of your broken toys."

"That won't happen," Klaus promised.

Caroline put her hand on his chest and pushing her away.

"I don't believe you," Caroline said, and with that she ran away.

* * *

Klaus stared at the space where Caroline had stood just moments before. He could have caught her, forced her to stay, but that wasn't the way to win her over. She reminded him of the hummingbird that had flown up to him in the Andes. She was fragile and breakable, vampire or not she worked hard to survive every day, her own insecurities convincing her that no one would love her, no one would want to. Even if he came before her on bent knee, groveling, he doubted if she would believe even his most arduous profession of love.

He did not know what it would take to convince Caroline not only to love him but to let him love her in return, but he would find a way. He could see now that his greatest opponent in his quest for her heart wasn't a suitor. The fortress she'd built around her heart to protect herself was the real thing hedging up his way. Klaus doubted if even the unworthy mutt Tyler had made it past her walls, perhaps that was why the idiot boy had strayed. Perhaps he realized that there would always be a part of Caroline out of his reach and gave up, whereas Klaus was quite decided to rise to the challenge. He'd find a way through her walls even if it took another thousand years. He was capable of pursuing any goal to the ends of the earth and when he chose to be he was incredibly patient. He had worked for a thousand years to unleash his werewolf side and Caroline was worth at least as much effort.

"And I thought she looked good walking away from you," Kol said, "I think I like it even better when she runs."

Klaus looked back and saw his younger brother leaning against the back door of the brothel, his face and clothes a bloody mess.

"Just give me time," Klaus said.

"Ah, well time is the one thing you're running out of, brother," Kol said and without warning, he snapped Klaus's neck.

* * *

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	20. Chapter 20

"Where's Klaus," Stefan asked as they gathered on the dock, waiting for the boat which Kol had arranged for to take them to the island the night before.

"Said he was going to go ahead to find the entrance to the tomb," Kol said with a shrug, "we're supposed to meet him on the island."

Stefan gave the youngest Michaelson brother a wary look. He didn't trust any of the Originals, but he trusted Kol the least. There was something about him, something unpredictable that unnerved him. Elijah had his honor and Klaus had his schemes, while Stefan often found himself two steps behind both of them, at least he had some idea of the direction in which they were heading. Kol, on the other hand, was fickle. Stefan thought he was just as likely to keep to the plan as he was to rip one of their hearts out on a whim.

Stefan glanced at Elijah, and he had a feeling he was dealing with a similar internal debate. It was troublesome that Klaus had taken off and left only Kol to convey the message. Not to mention that he'd left Caroline behind after taking so much trouble to keep her by his side. The whole situation felt sketchy.

"Ah, here he is!" Kol said, trotting up the dock to meet the fisherman.

"Do you buy it?" Stefan asked Elijah, under his breath so Kol wouldn't hear.

"Not even slightly." Elijah said.

"What do we do?"

"The only thing we can," Elijah said. "We play along."

* * *

When they reached the island, Caroline hopped off the boat first scanning the shore. No Klaus. She'd expected as much. At first she'd thought that Klaus was giving her space to process the things that happen and almost happened in the alley, but when morning came and he still hadn't returned to the hotel she was sure that something was wrong. Something about Kol's story hadn't sat right from the start. She didn't believe that Klaus would have gone anywhere without either taking her or telling her he was didn't trust Klaus's younger brother. There was something about him that had always struck her as wily, like he was apt to sell anyone out to the highest bidder, even his own family, so long as the offer was good enough.

She wasn't sure that family loyalty counted for as much for Kol as it did for the rest of the family.

She had held out hope that she would be proved wrong, that they would make it to the island and Klaus would be waiting for her. Them. He would be waiting for them.

But he wasn't there and she couldn't ignore the anxiety building in her chest. She knew that Klaus couldn't be killed but that didn't mean he couldn't be hurt.

And what was she supposed to do without him?

She hadn't realized how much she'd come to rely on him until he was no longer there to protect her.

* * *

Klaus woke in the brothel, tied up in one of the alcoves. His neck aches as his vertebras pieced themselves back together.

"Kol," He growled as his last memories swam to the surface. What was he up to?

Klaus looked around and saw two witches painting something on his back and the remaining ten members of the coven surrounding him muttering a spell. Whatever they'd painted on his back burned hot. He howled in pain, feeling his eyes glow gold instinctively.

With the increases strength of his werewolf side, he ripped free of his binding and then ripped the witches apart, piece by bloody piece.

When he reached the hotel, he found their rooms empty. Then it hit him, the witches and why Kol had betrayed him. Silas. Kol had clearly been afraid of the entombed immortal from the moment he heard his name. He agreed to help Klaus under duress, but obviously he had not trusted Klaus's promise to end the first immortal permanently. The witches must have been insurance, trying to control Klaus so that he would have no choice but to do his younger brother's will.

It was a clever plan. Too bad it wasn't going to work.

* * *

Caroline followed behind the rest of the group. She was biding her time, trying to formulate a plan. Elijah carried the Headstone of Silas and Stefan had the hunter's sword, so Caroline was the only unnecessary element. She felt the danger that position poised. What did it matter that Klaus didn't want her harmed? That wouldn't stop Kol from doing it, not after he'd already double crossed his more powerful brother.

Besides, Klaus wasn't here. He couldn't protect her. She was on her own.

She heard something move in the woods and turned to see what it was. When she looked back at the path, the others were gone and she was completely alone.

* * *

"Where's Caroline?" Stefan said, looking back and finding his friend gone. He stopped in his tracks and turned back, "Caroline?"

"Caroline?" Bonnie call, coming back to join Stefan.

Stefan saw the genuine concern written across her face. He tried not to feel resentment toward the witch, but it was a struggle. It was one thing to treat him as though he was a monster, it was quite another to treat Caroline that way. Caroline who had always been her friend and proved time and time again that she would put the well being of the people she loved ahead of her own.

She gave and gave and they had given little in return, even Stefan. He could see now how much he'd taken her for granted. He could only hope that he'd have the chance to make it up to her.

"Caroline!" He called again.

* * *

Caroline ran through the trees, listening for any sound that would guide her back to the group. She paused, trying to pick out any sound that might lead her in the right direction.

Silence.

She started forward heard something snap.

* * *

Klaus heard the trap spring and reacted without thinking. He grabbed Caroline and turned, shielding her so the stakes plunged forcefully into his back.

He grunted in pain, but he was alive, which she would not have been if their positions were reversed. He imagined her grey and desiccated in his arms and shuddered at the thought.

"Klaus," Caroline looked into his eyes, her own wide with shock.

His hair, still wet from swimming from the coast, dripped on her face. She stare up at him incredulously.

"You saved my life," She whispered.

Klaus couldn't fathom the incredulity in her voice.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" He asked.

"I didn't think you were here." She said.

"I'll always come when you need me," He said.

She didn't readily reply, instead she went around and freed him from the spikes. Once the spikes were removed, the wounds closed quickly, but he allowed Caroline to slide under his arm, winding her own arm around his waist, and guide him over to sit at the base of a tree.

"Are you okay?" She asked, crouching beside him, her delicate hands trailing over the tears in his shirt.

"I'm fine, love," He assured her. Catching her hand, reminding himself that she was okay. He could feel the wounds in his back closing and he would be recovered enough to continue in a matter of minutes.

"Kol fed us a bullshit story that you came to the island ahead of us," Caroline said, "What happened?"

Klaus shuddered at the memories of the chanting witches in the brothel. He decided to leave out the slaughter part.

"Kol wants to get to the cure before us. He wants to use it on Silas." Klaus said.

"We have to stop him!" Caroline, her eyes suddenly alight with panic.

"We will, love," Klaus said, calmly, "but there's no rush."

"Why's that?"

"Because Kol would need to feed Silas in order to enliven him enough to feed him the cure. And I doubt Stefan or Elijah will permit him to use Jeremy or Bonnie for that purpose." Klaus said, feeling positively smug about his foresight. "He won't have planned for that."

"And you did?" Caroline said.

Klaus smirked, "I did."

* * *

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	21. Chapter 21

"Nik, answer your damn phone!" Rebekah huffed irritably into her cell.

It was bad enough that he forced her to come all the way out to this godforsaken island off the coast of Nova Scotia, dragging along a werewolf whose only redeemable quality was that she didn't cry incessantly on the flight, but to not be waiting for her when she arrived was abominably inconsiderate.

It was his stupid plan that required this stupid werewolf, but here she was, doing all the work. As usual.

Rebekah supposed that it was impossible to spend a thousand years with another person and not develop intense feelings toward them. In the case of her half-brother, she was never entirely sure whether she hated him or loved him more.

It depended on the day, the century, how long since the last time he had stuck a dagger in her chest stuffed in in a coffin (two days and counting since last daggering incident, this time).

She had wanted to leave him, cut ties forever, many times over the centuries, but the problem with a bond a millennium in the making was that after all their time together the good and the bad (though, mostly bad) it was incredibly difficult to quit him cold turkey. She hated him, but she also wasn't entirely sure who she was without him.

She dialed the number again it rang twice before he answered.

"Ever heard of a thing called patience?"

Rebekah looked up, realizing she could hear him not just on the phone. He stepped out of the tree line, supported by the little blonde tramp from Mystic Falls. He obviously didn't need the help to walk, but he wasn't telling Caroline that.

"I brought your dog," Rebekah said, tossing the rope she had tied around Haley's wrists to Klaus who caught it, nimbly, "Now where's the cure?"

"Soon, little sister." Klaus said.

* * *

"Why did Rebekah bring Haley here?" Caroline asked, glancing back at Rebekah and Haley who trailed behind them. She had no doubt that the blonde original could hear her, but she didn't care. She didn't really like Klaus's sister, but she disliked her less than Haley.

"I told you, we may need something to feed Silas." Klaus said, "I thought you wouldn't mind my choice of junk food."

Caroline felt her stomach turn. She hated the werewhore, but she didn't wish her dead.

"You disapprove?" Klaus asked, "After what she did to you?"

"She didn't do it to me," Caroline said, "Tyler betrayed me, she didn't even know me."

"Are you saying she is under you protection as well?" Klaus asked, "Another one of your friends?"

"No…" Caroline trailed off. She wanted to say that she didn't like the idea of letting anyone be killed, even Haley. "I just think there's a better way, a way she doesn't have to die."

Klaus stared at Caroline for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"Fine," He said. He bit into his own wrist and sped back to Haley, pressing his wrist to her mouth and covering her mouth until she swallowed, "Now she won't die. Happy?"

Caroline stared at him, aghast.

Haley sputtered, blood smeared across her face, glaring at Klaus with burning hatred.

"What was that?" Rebekah said starting a some point through the trees, breaking the building tension.

"What are you talking about, Rebekah?" Klaus asked.

"I saw someone," Rebekah said, "there."

Klaus looked around. Caroline following his gaze but she couldn't see anything.

"You're imagining things, sister," Klaus said.

Then he doubled over in pain, bones cracking.

Caroline took a step back, "What's happening?"

"He's changing," Haley said.

Caroline's eyes widened in fear. She knew that Klaus could shift into a werewolf, but she'd never seen it happen. His eyes glowed gold and his fangs descended.

"Witchcraft…" He gasped, falling to the ground as more bones cracked. His eyes met Caroline's and for the first time ever, he looked frightened. "Run."

Caroline and Rebekah grabbed Haley's arms and the three girls bolted through the trees. A ragged cry came from behind them and midway shifted into a howl.

They couldn't outrun him. He would run them down in a matter of minutes once his transition was complete. Caroline realized that they only had one hope. She slowed to a stop.

"What are you doing?" Rebekah hissed. The original couldn't be killed by her brother's fangs, but she still looked frightened.

"We can't outrun him," Caroline said, "We all know that."

"So you're just giving up?" Rebekah asked, shooting her a scathing look.

"No, not giving up." Caroline said, "Thinking this through."

"Think and run," Rebekah said, tugging on Haley's arm and vicariously pulling Caroline.

"No," Caroline said, digging in her heels. "You saw someone in the woods. It must have been a witch who triggered the change. If you can find them and stop them, it will break the spell, right?"

"I suppose." Rebekah said, sounding dubious.

"Then go kill a witch," Caroline said.

"What about the two of you?" Rebekah asked looking almost concerned.

"We'll try to keep clear of him until you do your part." Caroline said. "Okay?"

"Okay," Rebekah nodded and raced off through the trees.

"You don't really think we can escape a wolf, do you?" Haley asked.

"Do you have a better plan?" Caroline asked.

Another howl interrupted Haley and the two girls started running again.

Caroline heard the wolf snarling behind them as they wove through the trees. She could run much faster, but pulling Haley along was slowing her down. After ten minutes Haley stopped, gasping for breath.

"I'm just slowing you down," She wheezed, "Leave me behind."

Caroline glanced back. She couldn't see Klaus, but she could hear him. He was close. This was her chance. She could just leave Haley and run. Klaus would tear the girl to pieces, but Caroline might survive. All she had to do was let someone else die in her place. She owed Haley nothing, they weren't friends, she didn't even like the boyfriend-stealer, but she couldn't make her legs move.

"Shit," she cursed. She couldn't do it. She couldn't let Haley die until she'd exhausted every other possibility.

"Go," Haley insisted.

"No," Caroline said, shaking her head, "You keep going. I'll lead Klaus away. I'm the vampire, I'm the one he'll chase."

"But…" Haley started to argue.

"No time," Caroline cut her off, "Just go and don't look back."

Haley nodded and started running again.

Caroline took a deep breath to steel her nerves before running back toward the wolf. She heard him snarl as she passed a few feet away and change direction to pursue her. She knew he was close, but she didn't look back, she just ran full out. Then something slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

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	22. Chapter 22

Caroline tried to scramble to her feet, but a snarl warned her not to move. Looking up, she saw a spike trap had been sprung and met a tree instead of her chest. She rolled over slowly and her gaze met the burning gold eyes of the wolf. For one wild moment, she thought he'd saved her from another one of the traps, but he snapped at her to prove her hope wrong.

Caroline flinched as the wolf took a step closer, snarling as he approached.

Separated from the others, she was no match for Klaus, especially not when he was in this form, not when he could kill her with a single bite. She held up her hand and got down on her knees, hoping to convey submission. She heard that was supposed to work with aggressive dogs, she wasn't sure if the same could be said for aggressive Hybrids.

"Klaus?" She whispered, holding out her hand.

He appeared to be struggling with whatever magic had forced him to shift, whining and shaking his head. His golden eyes glowed and his fangs were bright, waiting to be tarnished with blood. He could rip her to pieces.

"Klaus," she tried again, "I don't know if you can understand me, but please try."

She wanted to flee, to get as far away from those fatal fangs as she could manage, but it wouldn't do any good now. He would take her down in a matter of steps. If she ran she would cease to be Caroline to him and he would just see her as prey. This was her best chance, her only chance. She had to hope that a part of his mind wasn't overrun by the wolf and that part of him would know her. She could only hope to bide a little time and that Rebekah was close to finding the witch.

Caroline closed her eyes, trying to squash down her growing fear. This was useless, he was overrun by instinct, he was going to rip out her throat and not even realize it until he came back around to his human form. He'd be sorry for what he'd done once he was himself again, not that it would do her any good once she was dead.

She felt a rush of pity for him. If he loved her half as much as she thought he did it would hurt him terribly to know that he'd killed her. How many times had he promised her that he would never hurt her, that he'd keep her safe? She thought it might have been the one time when he'd actually believed he was telling someone the complete truth, and he was going to discover himself a liar even then. If he did remember what he did to her, she didn't want him to remember her crying and afraid. She didn't want to add to his guilt. She opened her eyes and met the golden gaze of the wolf.

"It's okay," she said, "It's not your fault. I know that. I forgive you."

The wolf took a step toward her. She closed her eyes, she was going to face the end bravely, but that didn't mean she had to watch as he ripped her apart.

"It's okay," she said, controlling the waver in her voice. She felt the wolf's hot breath on her face, "I love you."

She hadn't meant to say it. The words weren't a desperate plea, they just slipped out, a last confession while she still had the chance. She was startled by the words, startled that she said it, and even more startled to realize that she meant it. She'd known that she was attracted to Klaus for a long time, she was undeniably drawn to him, even when she was repelled by his actions, but she hadn't accepted that she loved him. She didn't know when it started, all she knew was that she did in fact love him.

She felt a wave of peace, because she thought that there were probably worse things than dying by the hand of someone you loved.

After a minute, she realized that nothing had happened. She no longer felt the wolf's breath hot upon her face. She opened her eyes and instead of gold, her eyes met dark blue.

Naked, Klaus crouched in front of her, breathing heavily from the effort of overcoming the forced transition.

"Klaus," Caroline breathed in relief.

"You love me?" He asked, each word coming in sharp bursts. There was still something feral about his eyes, not composed to their usual calm.

Caroline opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. It was a far easier confession when she didn't think her words would be understood, when she thought she was seconds from death. Now with his eyes raking over her, the words lodged in her throat.

But he didn't seem to need it repeated. He moved toward her, his actions slow and deliberate and caught her lips in his own. Gently, he lowered her back onto the uneven earth, his hands ripping at her clothes, ignoring buttons and zippers.

"You love me," he murmured in her ear, no longer asking.

He was no longer a beast, but not quite a man, dragging his teeth across her skin. Her mind spun. She was alive, he hadn't killed her, but this, was this really a good idea? There was the witch, the cure, her friends. Then she realized that she didn't care anymore. She didn't care whether or not it was a good idea. She didn't care what her friend would think. She just wanted him. She wanted this, wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anyone.

She breathed three words against his neck, "I love you."

"Well that's nice, but I'd say your timing could be better." Rebekah said.

Caroline started. She sat up, quickly fixing her rucked up clothes. She heard Klaus growl in displeasure. He was the one entirely naked, but he didn't seem the least bit concerned by it as he glared up at his sister.

Rebekah held Haley by the neck and tossed Klaus his clothes, which were significantly worse for wear.

"Come on," She said, "I killed the witch and recovered the whelp. I even managed to get a bit of Kol's plan before I ripped the dastardly witch's heart out. That's what I've been doing. And you've been doing each other." She looked somewhere between annoyed and amused. "Well, apparently our dear brother has more witches on the way. If you want the cure, I suggest we get there first."

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	23. Chapter 23

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked Bonnie as he helped her feet.

Jeremy staggered to his feet, clutching his side. He probably had a few broken ribs considering the force with which Kol through him into the wall of the cave. Kol went wild when they entered the tomb, trying to feed Bonnie to the stone immortal. With Stefan's help, Elijah had subdued his brother by snapping Kol's neck.

Stefan saw the eldest Original carefully sliding a dagger into his brother's heart. Once the youngest brother was safely desiccated, Elijah straightened up and wiped his hands on his handkerchief.

"Thank you, Stefan," Elijah said, approaching the tomb of Silas, considering the situation carefully.

Stefan joined him and saw the problem. The box containing the cure was clutched in the sleeping immortal's stony grasp.

"What do we do now?" Stefan asked, "Chisel it out?"

"No," Elijah said, his words slow and ponderous, "No I believe it would be better to feed him enough blood to ease it from his grasp, but no so much as to wake him."

"Who do you suggest feeding him?" Bonnie asked, looking like she would take down anyone who tried to feed her to the immortal again.

"I'll do it," Jeremy said, "Whatever it takes to cure Elena."

"Very selfless," A voice said, coming from the way they'd entered the tomb, "But I have already planned for the necessary sustenance."

Stefan turned around, but he didn't care about the sudden appearance of Klaus and Rebekah, or the werewolf girl Caroline dumped Tyler over, the only person he saw was Caroline. Her closes were torn and a little bloody, but she appeared unharmed. She saw him and a half smile graced her lips.

How could he have ever imagined that it was impossible to love such a person?

* * *

"Come now, little wolf," Klaus said, dragging Haley toward the altar where the stone body lay still, "time to make yourself useful."

Haley struggled against him even though it was obviously futile. Caroline felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. They weren't friends, but Caroline imagined under different circumstances they might have been. The werewolf was brave. She didn't beg for her life, she just fought with what strength she had. She reminded Caroline of herself, of all the times when she had to fight so hard for her life because no one else would.

She thought about how desperately she'd wished for a savior during those times, for someone to step in and save her. She couldn't stand by, seeing someone else in the same need, and do nothing.

"Klaus don't," She said.

The hybrid stopped and looked at her.

"What?"

"Don't do this, she doesn't deserve to die."

Klaus bit Haley's neck and pressing the bleeding wound to the statues lips, "She won't die."

At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly, the statue moved, releasing the cure and grabbing Haley. Caroline reacted without thinking. She grabbed the cure. Then she heard three things that made her go cold, chanting coming down the passage, a snap as Silas broke Haley's neck, and Klaus whispering to her.

"Give me the cure, Caroline," Klaus said.

Caroline looked around the room and found that in a matter of seconds, everything had turned to chaos. A league of witches were spilling into the tomb, blocking escape. Haley lay dead on the floor. Silas was gone, and there were two Klaus's.

"Give me the cure," one of the Klaus's said again.

The witches chanted with added vigor. Caroline saw the other vampires collapse under the mental attack. Caroline flinched expecting pain, but it didn't come. She looked around and saw that both she and Jeremy were still standing. Then she saw Bonnie, eyes squeezed shut and muttering something beneath her breath. She was holding off the witches attack, and the blood dripping from her nose made it clear that they didn't have long.

Caroline glanced at Jeremy.

"Do you know which one is Silas?" She asked.

He looked at her and nodded. She flipped open the case and found a single vial. One dose, enough to cure one vampire. Or maybe not.

"I've got a hunch," She said to Jeremy, "Just don't let him kill me, okay?"

"Okay," Jeremy agreed, casting a worried glance back at Bonnie who staggered under the weight of the coven of witches combined power.

"God, I hope I'm right," She whispered as she cracked the glass and downed the vial.

It burned like fire and the sensation spread across her entire body until she was sure she would burst into flame. Then it stopped, suddenly like someone turned off a faucet. At first, she wasn't sure that it had worked and then she realized that she couldn't hear the pounding cacophony of human hearts that had thrummed in the background moments before. She didn't have time to stop and think, she just charged toward the two Klaus's, she felt Jeremy behind her, and was relieved when she glanced back and saw that he had the hunter's blade.

"Which one?" She asked. Jeremy indicated the Klaus further from the altar "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Jeremy said.

Caroline said a silent prayer that Jeremy was right before holding her hand out to him and telling him to cut her. She winced as the blade dragged across her palm. She looked at the wound, marveling for a moment that it wasn't already half healed.

She pushed Silas onto his back and held her hand over his mouth. Despite agony from the mental attack, he instinctively swallowed at the taste of fresh blood in his mouth.

She ripped her hand free of his grasp and scrambled away, hoping that her hunch was right.

"Do it," She called to Jeremy. He swung the sword and it clanged loudly as it hit stone, sending Silas's head rolling away from his body.

Abruptly, the witches stopped chanting. They stared at the body, watching as it withered away to ash before their eyes.

"Now leave," Bonnie said, with a tone that Caroline doubted any of the witches would dare disobey. Slowly Stefan, Klaus, and Elijah started to get up, their vampire brains healing all the burst capillaries.

Caroline realized that her feet were moving before her brain decided to do so. She threw her arms around Klaus's neck. She clutched him like someone was going to try to take him from her. His arms wrapped around her, squeezing her tight. Then he stiffened, he pulled away and looked at her in confusion.

"You're human," He said.

"Only temporarily," she said, "once I've cured everyone who wants to be cured, I can turn back."

Caroline was surprised by the words that tumbled out of her mouth. She'd never really thought about taking the cure, now that she had she knew that she didn't want to be human again. She liked who being a vampire made her and she didn't want to go back to the person she'd been before. She wanted to live forever. And she wanted to spend that forever with Klaus.

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	24. Chapter 24

"Your turn," Caroline said, offering her wrist to Rebekah.

It had been a whirlwind day. They had undaggered Kol before they left the island, but they left him to find his own way back. Klaus had been furious that Kol's mischief with the witches had almost gotten Caroline killed, but she managed to convince him to let him go his own way. Caroline didn't like Kol much, but she figured that it didn't hurt to show him some mercy. Maybe in the future he'd do something to deserve it.

They could not afford to waste time on the way back to Mystic Falls. Haley' needed doppelganger blood to complete the transition or else she would die. Caroline wasn't sure if the cure would work before the werewolf was fully transitioned, and she didn't want to risk it. Besides, she'd seen the agony Tyler went through when he had to transition every month. She figured she'd give Haley the choice of whether or not she wanted the cure.

She figured that was a good rule of thumb. She'd cure anyone, but only if they wanted to be cure. Elena was the first taker, even though killing Silas had cured Jeremy of his hunter urges. With Elena cured and still in love with him, Damon opted to become human as well. He tried to take the cure from Elena, but they found that the cure could only be passed on directly from Caroline. After their history, she wasn't eager to let Damon feed on her, but she allowed it and he gave her a begrudging, "Thanks, Blondie."

Elena generously allowed Haley to drink her blood and become a hybrid. After serious contemplation, Haley opted to remain a hybrid. Caroline was surprised to find that her dislike of Haley had not only dissipated, but left in its place something oddly close to friendship.

She offered Stefan the cure next, sure that he would accept it eagerly, but he glanced at Damon and Elena and waved her off.

"I'm good," He said.

She felt a swell of pity for him. He had been going on the hope that when the sire bond broke Elena would come back to him, but now that hope was gone. She knew being a vampire was miserable for him, that he couldn't even drink bagged blood without turning into a homicidal maniac.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure," He said, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "thanks, Care."

Caroline offered the hybrids the cure, but with the sire bond broken, none of them wanted to go back to suffering through monthly agony.

Then she went home, well to her new home, the Mikaelson manor. She was really starting to notice her human frailties, the exhaustion of hours of travel and blood loss catching up with her, but she had one more promise to keep.

Rebekah took Caroline's offered hand and looked up at Klaus as though expecting him to go back on his deal and refuse to let her be human again, but he said nothing.

"Thank you," She said, and then she bit into Caroline's wrist.

Once Rebekah left, Caroline went to Klaus and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

"That was good of you," she said.

"It's about time us Mikaelson's got some lasting happiness." He said, "If she truly believes that humanity is the means to her happiness, then I wish her well."

"In that case," She said, remembering another promise, "You won't mind pardoning Katherine Pierce. For Elijah's sake?"

Klaus looked stunned, she could tell he was going to say no.

"For me?" She asked.

He let out a low grow, "for you."

Caroline sank down into his lap, tracing his features with her fingertips. She found herself wishing she could draw, that she could capture the way he looked to her. He was unchanged, but somehow he looked completely different in the wake of her changed feeling for him. It was an uncertain world they lived in, even for someone who was immortal, but there was one thing which she was completely sure. She loved Klaus Mikaelson, and she always would.

It was the first time since that passionate, instinctual moment in the woods where something almost happened that they'd been alone together. Except this time there was no one to stop them, no important mission to keep their passions in check.

Caroline met Klaus's eye, dark with desire, and she slid off his lap, took his hand and led him from his study, but the stairs and into his bedroom. She could hardly believe how little time had passed since they were both there before. So little time, yet so much had changed.

Klaus picked her up and carried her to the bed, crawling on after her, dragging kisses across her throat.

Caroline was sure about one other thing.

This time, they wouldn't just talk.

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**This story is for you!**


	25. Chapter 25 (Warning: M Content)

**Due to requests here is a special Klaroline scene! Please note that this scene is rated M. If you don't want to read, skip to the next chapter.**

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Klaus trailed kisses up Caroline's stomach as he slowly pushed up her shirt to expose new and unexplored skin. Caroline inhaled sharply as his stubbly jaw grazed against her ribs. She tangled her hands in his short curls and pulled him up catching his lips with her own. Every inch of her skin burned for him.

They rolled over and Caroline pulled away from him long enough to tug off her blouse, she scrambled for Klaus's pants, desperately. Klaus caught her hands and rolled them back over, pinning her hands above her head as he straddled her and dragged his teeth against sensitive skin of her neck. She arched against him, desperate for the feeling of his body against hers.

"Patience, love," Klaus murmured in her ear as she writhed against him.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"I'm not one of your inexperienced teenaged boys." He said. "I want to know all of you, and I intend to discover you one piece at a time."

Klaus trailed his lips down her jaw, her throat, her collarbone. Caroline arched at the feeling of his lips on her skin. She'd always thought that sex was so much better as a vampire, with the heightened senses, but this was different. This wasn't just sex, with Klaus it was something more.

Once Caroline relaxed, he released her hands. She eased off his Henley, her hands exploring the hard, muscular planes of his abs, his chest, his back. there was something appealing about his slow and steady method, more satisfying then her rolls in the hay with Tyler where it was abut ripping all of their clothes off as quickly as possible.

Every caress made her desperate for more. She felt like she couldn't breath unless he was touching her.

He unclasped her bra. And his hands. Oh God. His hands. Her body ached for him, she wrapped her legs around him and felt him pressed hard against her, but it wasn't enough. She moaned as his tongue graze her soft skin.

She dug her nails into his back, and she heard him let out a low growl. She opened her eyes and found his eyes glowing gold. She pulled him down onto her so that their skin pressed together deliciously. She nuzzled his throat and felt him relax, the wolf going dormant once again.

"I love you," She whispered against his neck.

He sat back and slowly unfastened her jeans. He pulled them slowly down, caressing every inch of newly exposed flesh with his hands and lips. When he pulled them off her feet he tossed them aside. Caroline shuddered at the way his eyes darkened as he drank in every inch of her.

"Perfection," He whispered. She'd been called beautiful, but she'd never felt more beautiful then she did beneath his worshipful touch.

She grabbed hold of the waistline of his pants and undid the button. She met his eyes as she pulled down the zipper. She pushed them down past his hips, running her hand over his butt. She inhaled sharply as he pressed against her, pulling her closer than she thought possible. He thrusted into her and she arched back, her eye shutting in ecstasy. She loved him. She clutched him as they moved together.

"I'll love you, Caroline," he said, "Forever."

Caroline cried out as she came to pieces in his arms.

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	26. Chapter 26

**Two Chapters! Happy Belated Christmas!**

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If every morning for the rest of forever start this way, with a cloud of blonde hair fanned across his chest and warm, sighing breaths tickled his skin, Klaus thought he would never want anything more.

What did power or control matter when Caroline Forbes loved him?

She'd always looked like an angel to him, but the image was complete as the morning light casted a golden glow across her pale skin.

They were both damaged by the betrayal of people who were supposed to love them. They both suffered at the hands of their fathers. They understood each other in a way that no one else could or ever would. Maybe they were both broken, maybe irreparably, but they had all the time in the world to try to mend the pieces.

"Mmmm…" Caroline stirred.

"Good morning, love," Klaus said. The word warmed his chest. It was no longer a taunting pet name, but a title given and accepted. She was his love.

Her blue eyes batted open, a momentary flicker of confusions crossed her face before she remembered where she was, and that exactly where she belonged.

"Morning," she said, smiling before pressing a light kiss is to his bare chest.

Klaus caught her chin and pulled her up to steal a kiss from her lips.

"I adore you," he murmured into her untamed curls.

"Are you sure you can put up with me forever?"

"I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less," Klaus said.

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Caroline wasn't surprise to find that Klaus was far more possessive than any of her previous boyfriends, but she was surprised to find that it ignited something within her. She liked being wanted so desperately and it made her want him with desperation to match his own.

She found that everything Klaus did, he did with intensity. When he made love to her it was as though he wanted to devour her. His eyes turned gold and his fangs descended, but he didn't hurt her. No matter how desperate of wild he was he was always gentle with her.

"Are you sure that you're ready?" He asked, his words brushing over the bare skin of her shoulders. It was late in the morning but they hadn't left the bed in days, except to get the food Caroline's annoying human body demanded.

"What is there to wait for?" She asked, "I want you forever. Deal of no deal."

Klaus smirked and bit into his wrist. Her stomach turned at the idea of drinking blood now that the hunger for it was gone, but it was a means to an end.

She took his wrist and licked off the trail of blood. It tasted the same, salty and metallic, but now she could barely force herself to swallow it down.

The reaction was instantaneous. She lunged away from Klaus and her stomach cramped and bile rose in her throat. She wretched the blood on the floor.

"Caroline?" He rushed to her aid, brushing her hair away from her face.

She wretched a few more times, tears stinging in her eyes. When the attack finally subsided, she felt clammy and weak.

Klaus held her and stroked her hair.

"What was that?" She whispered, too exhausted to feel embarrassed she threw up in front of Klaus.

"The cure," Klaus said, a flicker of fear darkening his eyes, "There's such a potent dose in you, I don't think you can change back."

"You mean I'm stuck human?" The information hit Caroline like a train. She didn't even stop to think before taking the cure, it was necessary to save the people she cared about, but she never thought that she'd be human permanently. She had never wanted the cure for herself. The only reason she even went after it was for the sake of her friends. Now, not only was she cured, but she couldn't be uncured.

"So it would seem," Klaus said.

"What do we do?" Caroline asked.

"What do you mean we?" Klaus replied darkly. "You're human now."

He withdrew his arms from her and rose to his feet. Caroline looked up at him. His expression was cruel and she felt her heart ripping apart.

"What are you saying?" Caroline asked, scrambling to her feet.

"I'm saying I don't want you anymore." Klaus said.

Caroline would have thought he was joking, but it was too cruel of a joke, even for him.

"You don't mean that," She whispered, reaching for him, but he stepped out

"You were amusing," he said, "but now you're a broken toy."

Caroline drew a sharp breath. He threw her own words back at her, the ones he knew would hurt her most and the knowledge that he was turning the things she'd shared with him in confidence against her hurt worst of all.

"I love you," She said.

"Ah, yes, but I don't love you." He turned and walked to the door. "I never did. You were a challenge. Now you're nothing."

"What about our deal?"

"Our deal was that you couldn't leave me." He said, "I never agreed that I wouldn't leave you."

"Klaus." Caroline whispered, feeling as though he'd thrust his hand into her chest and ripped her heart out. She was about to grovel, to beg him to stay, but she stopped herself. Begging wouldn't make Klaus change his mind. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she did know that he loved her. She's seen it and just because he denied it now didn't mean it was true. She loved him, but she would not beg him to stay. She was not special, but she deserved better than this.

"Fine, leave." She said. "If all we have means nothing to you, if I meant nothing to you, then go."

Klaus opened the door.

"But if you go, Klaus," Caroline said, fighting to keep her pain in check, "don't you dare come back."

He walked out the door and he didn't even look back.

Caroline waited a few minutes before letting out a gasping sob, and then she crawled back into the bed. She hugged one of the pillows and breathed deep his musky scent. That morning she'd had the promise of forever, she'd had Klaus, and now she had nothing. She only had one lifetime and she found the few brief decades more terrifying than all of the unknowns of forever.

What was she supposed to do? Go back and finish high school? Go to college and start a career? Meet some guy, get married and buy a house? All those things which her human self looked forward to with excitement now filled her with dread in the wake of the brief bright light of her life as a vampire. How could she go back to a black and white life after seeing all the colors the world had to offer?

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**Sorry guys... I don't give very nice Christmas presents.**

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	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry for the late update! Not trying to drag out the suspense, I've just been really sick the past few days. Thank you for your patience and support!**

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Elijah straightened his cuff while he waited in the town square of Havensbrook, Massachusetts. He had been with Katherine when he received the call from Klaus. Klaus had sounded distressed so Elijah thought it would be best not to make him wait longer than necessary.

"Elijah," Klaus said, coming up behind Elijah.

Elijah turned around and hugged his brother, "Niklaus."

Elijah held Klaus by the shoulders while he studied his brother's face. A few days had passed since their return to Mystic Falls with the cure and Elijah had been in a hurry to tell his beloved Katarina that Klaus had granted her a pardon from her ancient offense. He had never seen his brother look happier then when he left him in the company of the adored Caroline, but every trace of happiness had been purged from his face.

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked, "Caroline, is she?"

"She's fine," Klaus said, but the sharpness of his words indicated that Elijah had found the source of the problem.

Elijah took a deep breath, hoping there wasn't a trail of bodies following Klaus from Mystic Falls starting with all of the young blonde's closest friends.

"Tell me, brother," Elijah pressed, grabbing Klaus's shoulder and squeezing it sympathetically.

"She's human," Klaus said, "Permanently."

"And you left her?" Elijah asked, "Without a word?"

"Oh, there were several words," Klaus said with a bitter smirk.

Elijah flinched, he knew his brother too well to imagine that he left without leaving a fair number of scars in his wake as he pushed the poor girl away.

"Why did you leave, Niklaus?" Elijah asked.

"Because it's for the best." Klaus said, "She's safer with me gone."

"That was just as true when she was a vampire." Elijah said.

"Yes, but now she comes with an expiration date," Klaus growled, looking agitated.

"So rather than have a great love for one lifetime, you chose to walk away?" Elijah asked, "Why?"

"It's none of your business, Elijah."

Elijah decided that it was best not to aggravate his brother.

"What do you want from me?" Elijah asked.

"I want you to go back to Mystic Falls," Klaus said, "Make sure she stays safe."

"And where will you go?"

Klaus looked out across the small town, his eyes lost in the wearying years to come.

"I think it's time to go home."

* * *

Caroline stood on the front porch of her childhood home holding the handle of her suitcase. She felt like a different person than the girl who left the house with the same suitcase two weeks earlier. She was a different person. That girl was a vampire with a future of forever stretching out ahead of her. Now she had nothing, was nothing but the stupid girl who believed that she was the one thing someone who cared about nothing cared about. She could see now that all her first instincts about Klaus had been correct. He was dangerous and foolishly she had handed him the power to break her heart. She was such a fool to think that she would be anyone's exception.

She raised her hand to knock on the door. It felt so strange to knock on the front door of her home like any other stranger. She hesitated. Coming home was as good as admitting that she was wrong about everything and accepting the mess her life had turned into was real. She hated the idea of admitting that the first man who had made her believe that someone really could love her forever was just another liar.

But what other choice did she have?

So, she knocked.

The door swung open.

"Mom," Caroline managed to choke out.

No explanation was needed. Liz Forbes wrapped her wayward daughter in a warm hug and let her sob against her shoulder. Once the first waves subsided, Liz led Caroline inside, pulling in the suitcase. She didn't say "I told you so". She didn't want to be right. She wanted her daughter to be happy, but if Caroline couldn't be happy then Liz hoped she'd at least be safe.

After tucking Caroline into her bed and making her tea, they sat in silence for a long time. Caroline didn't seem to want to talk and Liz wasn't about to push her. She drank her tea and went to sleep. Liz moved off the bed, but she didn't go far. She dragged an old rocker into the room and sat watching over her daughter as she slept.

She'd always tried to be a good mother. She'd tried everything she could think of to protect Caroline. She even applied tough love, though it broke her heart to do so. But despite all her efforts her perfect little girl still got broken.

Liz decided then and there that if she ever saw the awful Original who had made her baby cry, she was going to give him a talking to, or shoot him. She wasn't entirely sure which.

* * *

The world looked slightly better when Caroline woke up in her own bed. She considered apologizing to her mom, telling her that she was right all along, but it wasn't necessary. Her mother knew that some things were better left unsaid and Caroline found herself once again grateful that she could rely on her mother for unconditional love. She'd doubted her mother's love only once, when she found out that her daughter was a vampire, but they'd gotten past it and came out stronger on the other side.

"Do you want to talk?" Liz asked.

Caroline rolled over and saw her mom sitting in the rocker that she'd always dragged in whenever Caroline had gotten sick as a little girl.

"Not really," Caroline said. Her insides squirmed as she thought of Klaus's hands touching her, his lips, the way he made her feel like no one had even been loved as much as he loved her. The memories were all tainted now by his scornful words and the hollowness he'd left her with his absence.

"Okay," Liz said, "Do you need me to get you a blood bag?"

"No," Caroline said.

"Care, you need to eat," Liz protested.

"No, mom, it's not that," Caroline said, "I'm not a vampire anymore."

Liz Forbes burst into tears. It was one of the few times Caroline had ever seen her mother cry, and as her mother threw her arms around her and tears brimmed to the surface of her own eyes, Caroline thought for the first time that maybe being human again wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

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	28. Chapter 28

Caroline and Haley sat in the Grill eating their dinner. Caroline found that Haley's company was easier to handle than that of her friends who were all ready to verbally abuse Klaus and happy that he was gone. Haley, who was still under the sire bond, didn't have the same level hatred for Klaus that everyone else in Mystic Falls nurtured.

Caroline did hate him, his vicious word were unforgivable. He'd told her that he never would have allowed Tyler to hurt her if Tyler had still been under his control, but then he'd gone on to hurt her worse than anyone before him had ever managed. A few terrible words casted doubt on every other moment they'd ever shared.

Two months had passed since the Original Hybrid skipped town. The hybrid pack had taken over the Mikaelson Manor, they figured Klaus owed them at least that much after using them as indentured slaves for months. Caroline didn't care about the empty house, but she had walked through it anyway, looking for things that the Mikaelson's movers may have left behind. She didn't know what she'd been looking for until she found it. One of Klaus's sketchbooks was on the mantel in his study, the one she'd flipped through when she went home with him after the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. The start this whole fiasco of a whirlwind romance seemed like a lifetime ago, and in some ways it was.

She looked at the book. She knew Klaus too well to think that he'd forgotten it. The book was the closest thing to an apology she was ever going to get. It wasn't enough, so she tucked it away on the shelf along with her broken heart. She only had one life to live and she didn't want to waste it nursing regrets and disappointments. Maybe no guy she'd ever loved thought so, but she thought she deserved better than that, and that was what really mattered anyway.

"Care?"

Caroline looked up at Haley, roused from her thoughts. She found her fork had stopped halfway to her mouth. She took the bite and chewed it slowly.

"You okay?" Haley asked.

"I'm fine," Caroline said, "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"You, actually," Caroline said. It wasn't entirely a lie, she had been thinking about Haley earlier, "Why haven't you had Tyler help you break the sire bond?"

Haley looked uncomfortable, "I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Why not?" Caroline asked.

"Klaus asked me not to."

"Did he compel you to keep a secret?" Caroline asked.

"No, but," Haley started.

"If he didn't want you to tell me, he would have compelled the memory away," Caroline said, "He's not big on trust."

Haley thought about it, but seemed to draw the same conclusion.

"He told me to keep you safe." Haley said, "I figured since I was going to do that anyway, I didn't need to break the bond."

"Why were you going to do it anyway?" Caroline asked.

"You saved my life on that island, Care," Haley said, "I'm not about to forget something like that."

The girls finished their dinner and parted ways outside of the Grill.

Caroline had walked to meet Haley, she could have taken her car, but she liked the time alone, between her mother, Haley, Bonnie, and Stefan, she rarely got a second on her own anymore. She appreciated that they were worried about her, but she wasn't as breakable as they thought.

That was the funny thing, by breaking her heart, Klaus had pieced together all her other broken parts. He fixed her with the secret she'd realized when she found the sketchbook, a secret she didn't plan to tell anyone else. Klaus left because he loved her. He knew that he as too dangerous, that she would forever have a target on her head so long as anyone thought that he loved her. He left because he loved her enough to let her go and live a human life. She despised his methods, but she could live with his reasons.

"Hello Caroline."

"Elena?" Caroline looked up, surprised by her friend's voice. She saw Elena's face, but she knew immediately that it wasn't her friend.

"Not exactly." Katherine Pierce said with a smirk.

"Katherine," Caroline backed away from the petite brunette, "what are you doing here?"

"Imagine my surprise when I found out that the stupid blonde I turned into a vampire is the almighty Klaus's weak spot."

"Klaus is gone. He gave you a pardon," Caroline said, looking down the street for help, but no one was to be seen. There was no way she could out run the vampire.

"I don't care about forgiveness," Katherine said, "Klaus took everything from me. I intend to return the favor."

Katherine slammed Caroline against the wall of the Grill, pinning her with an arm pressed firmly to her throat.

"Katherine, please," Caroline begged.

"Sorry, but it's only fair," Katherine said, "He took everything from me, so I'll take away the one person who means everything to him."

"Katherine," Caroline, choked, stars blotting out her vision.

Just when Caroline thought she would lose consciousness, Katherine's grip slackened. Caroline gasped for breath, her head spinning and her vision slowly returning. When she could see she saw Katherine on the ground, her face gray and desiccated. Caroline looked up, her heart speeding up, expecting to see Klaus, thinking that he'd come back for her. But it wasn't Klaus holding Katherine's heart in his bloody hand.

* * *

"Elijah," Caroline breathed.

The eldest Mikaelson looked at the heart in his hand sadly before letting it fall to the ground. He pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped away the blood. He'd loved Katarina dearly, but only ever succeeded in destroying her. The irreparable damage had been done centuries ago. He'd tried to fix her, but some people refused to be saved.

"You saved me," Caroline said as she massaged her bruised throat.

"I made you a promise," He said, "I couldn't control her, so I stopped her."

"Thank you," Caroline whispered.

Elijah nodded, stepping away from the pretty blonde. Then he stopped, because he heard something. Beneath Caroline's pounding pulse, beating violently from fear, he heard something softer. A fast, quiet fetal heartbeat.

"You're with child." He observed, though she wasn't showing yet.

Caroline didn't deny it. Elijah couldn't take his eyes off of her. He could barely identify what he was feeling, it was different than anything he'd felt in a very long time. It felt like hope.

"Who's the child's father, Caroline?" Elijah asked.

"I think you already know."

"But," Elijah started, "it's not possible."

"I've stopped believing in impossible," Caroline said with a shrug.

"Have you told Niklaus, Caroline?" Elijah asked.

Caroline shook her head.

"He will return, once you tell him, he will return," He assured her.

"No." Caroline said firmly.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not going to tell him." Caroline said, she swallowed hard, she looked terrified. The very notion that she thought he would harm her appalled Elijah. He would never harm her while she was with child, his niece or nephew. "And you're not going to either."

He felt a burst of amusement at the frail little human's boldness.

"I'm not?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No, you're not." She said.

"And why is that?"

"Because Klaus chose to leave." Caroline said. "That was his choice and this is mine."

"He loves you, Caroline," Elijah said, "Of that I am sure. Just tell him of the baby. The baby changes everything."

"The baby changes nothing."

"Caroline," Elijah started to press.

"Do you honestly think we will be better off with him in our lives? Because I don't."

"But what do you want?"

"What I want doesn't matter now. I don't have the right to be that selfish, not anymore."

She covered her stomach protectively and Elijah could tell that she had shifted from a girl to a mother in the last few weeks. A slight smile curved her lips and Elijah felt a desperate longing for the humanity that pulsed through her veins. The cure offered a short human life, a family, a purpose. There was honor in that. But there was also honor in family and fighting to save what was left of it.

"You truly love my brother." Elijah reminded her. "I've seen it."

"I do." Caroline said. She looked down at her belly and the new life within it. "But this isn't just about my life anymore."

* * *

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**FYI - Sorry, but between work and life I'm going to have to dial back to updating once a week. If I can do more, I promise I will! :)**


	29. Chapter 29

"Another," Klaus said, sliding his empty glass across the dark, slick wood of the bar to his favorite blonde bartender.

"You've had a lot tonight," Cami observed as she poured the amber liquid and passed the glass back to the Original who tossed it back without hesitation.

"Afraid I can't hold my liquor, love?" Klaus asked, sliding the once again empty glass back to her with an amused smirk.

She topped off his drink, "No, just wondering what's up."

"I'm an artist," He said, swirling his drink slowly around instead of drinking, "isn't drunk and brooding our prerogative?"

Klaus study the bartender as she wiped the counter. She looked like an angel in a dim din where people came to drown their demons. He'd been drawn to her company since he first returned to the Quarter six months earlier, from the first moment he'd seen her she reminded him of his own precious angel. She and Caroline shared a few superficial similarities, both blonde, both beautiful. However, the similarities went beyond that. They were both good and they saw the good in people, even when it didn't exist. Keeping company with Cami was a sweet torture. She was a reminder of what he'd given up, but she also reminded him why.

The young human psychology student had been caught in the crossfire a number of times during Klaus's little war to regain the French Quarter. Every time she came to harm he remembered that Caroline would have been just as fragile, just as easily lost. He was unable to ensure Cami's safety, but he could protect Caroline. He could stay far from her and give her the freedom to have the live she deserved. It would be a brief life. She was like a flickering candle, tragically short lived, but beautiful even in its brevity. He was the sun, burning on even when all reason to do so was gone.

"If you wanted to be dark and brooding, you would have stayed home along in that fortress of yours," Cami said, leaning across the counter to meet his gaze, "but you came here, to this bar, to see me."

"And what does that tell you?" Klaus asked, always impressed by her aptitude for seeing through him when even those whom he'd known for centuries.

"Marcel called," Cami said, avoiding the question, "said you left quite a mess for him to clean up. He warned me I might not be safe around you today."

"And what do you think?" Klaus asked, "Do you think you're safe around me?"

"I don't think you'll hurt me," She said.

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Klaus asked.

"What do you think I've been doing since you got to town?"

Klaus chuckled. He pulled out his money clip and fished out a couple hundred's and passed them to Cami.

"Thanks for the drinks, love."

He hopped off the stool.

"Klaus?"

Klaus stopped and looked back at his human friend.

"What's today?" Cami asked.

Klaus flinched. He prized Cami's insight, but sometimes it shot through his heart like a fiery dart. She saw his heart with ease while everyone else was busy debating whether or not he had one. She watched him steadily, and for a moment through his blurred vision, she might have been Caroline, standing before him waiting for the explanation he owed her.

"Today is a very special birthday." He said and left before another word could pass between them.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Caroline!"

Caroline laughed at the sight of number "2" candle on her cake. Though she was celebrating her nineteenth birthday, but she was technically only eighteen. She was eighteen again. She'd spent a year as a vampire and during that time a big pause button had been hit on her aging process.

"Surprised?" Her mom asked, guiding her into the happy throng of friends in her living room.

"Very," Caroline said with a smile.

She waddled to her mothers' chair and sank down. She tried to ignore Elijah hovering beside her as though she was a human explosive device. She was never entirely sure if his hypervigilance and protectiveness over her was more annoying or sweet. He'd basically been her personal bodyguard since the night he saved her from Katherine and discovered that she was pregnant.

Nineteen and pregnant. She hadn't seen this one coming.

She'd never really thought about having kids when she was human the first time, and then she became a vampire and it was suddenly impossible. She didn't dwell on the loss because there was nothing she could do about it. She looked around the cramped living room at all of the smiling faces. Maybe her life wasn't playing out the way she'd expected, but it was a good life none the less. She had friends and family, people who loved her and would help her.

She'd heard people say that it took a village to raise a child, lucky for her she had one.

"What's all this about?" She asked.

She saw Elena and Damon in the kitchen talking and she was surprised that they'd come down from Whitmore for her birthday. They'd been so preoccupied with playing house since Elena left for college that the only reason Caroline knew they'd gotten engaged was because Bonnie told her when she came down for a weekend visit. Bonnie came home almost every weekend. She said that it was because she was homesick and wanted to see her family and Jeremy, but Caroline knew there was more to it than that. She came down to check on Caroline. She didn't say it out loud, but she was worried about her friend and the supernatural pregnancy.

Caroline appreciated her concern, but between her doctors' appointments and the weekly "checkups" from Bonnie, she was beginning to feel like a lab rat.

She didn't say anything, because she appreciated everything that everyone was doing for her. The hybrids, led by Haley, acted as her very own army, keeping tabs on everything magical to cross the town line. Stefan and Elijah had spent the past four month vying for the role of her personal guard dog. Her mom and Rebekah both insisted on going with her to every doctor's appointment. She knew their motive was to protect her, but she felt suffocated.

Someone was always there. They did it for her protection. She knew all of the reasons why everyone thought it was necessary to treat her like she was made of glass. She also knew that she should be more grateful for the lengths they had all gone too to protect her, but she wasn't grateful. Every vampire in the world would want the cure that was in her blood if they knew about it. They would want her to cure them or to use her blood against their enemies or to kill her before someone could get her blood to use as a weapon against them. And if anyone besides her friends knew or suspected her connection to Klaus Michaelson, she'd be hunted for that too.

Mystic Falls hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Original Hybrid in over six months. He was gone and he wasn't coming back. Caroline thought that Elijah probably knew more about his brother's whereabouts then he let on, but he didn't tell and she didn't ask. Besides, what did it matter? Klaus didn't care that he broke one former vampire's heart when he left. He'd done far worse to countless people. She really didn't have room to complain. He left her, but he left her alive and well and that was more than could be said for most of his victims.

Caroline counted herself as one of his victims. He came into her life like a whirlwind and in his wake he left her as a prisoner in her own town, a prisoner in her own home. With round the clock guards.

* * *

Stefan studied Caroline as her hugged and laughed with all her guests. She was lit up like the fourth of July, but in the rare moments when she thought no one was looking, the fireworks would go out and her expression would go dark. That was the way Caroline was now. She was sad, but she would only let it show when she thought no one was looking.

It killed him to see her brought so low. He would have talked to her about it, but he knew if he said anything she would just deny the suggestion that she was anything but perfectly happy.

But how could she be anything but sad? For a brief moment, she'd thought she'd had everything she wanted and then she lost it all. She would say it wasn't Stefan's fault, but he couldn't agree. If he had just interceded, told her the truth about how he felt about her when she'd asked he might have been able to drive a wedge between Caroline and Klaus before it was too late. Maybe if he'd done so, it would be his baby she was carrying and one human life they'd be sharing together.

But it was too late for that.

This was a mess of his making and the only thing he could do was try to fix what little he could. That was the reason why he'd refused the cure when Caroline had offered it to him.

He knew that Caroline probably thought it had something to do with Elena and Damon, but it didn't. He'd come to an acceptance about his brother and his ex-girlfriend. He loved Elena, but he loved his brother more and for that reason he could let the girl go. He'd realized that he would always love Elena, but he couldn't be in love with her anymore because he was in love with someone else.

But he was in love with a girl who was too broken to love him back, so he realized that instead of giving her his heart like he wanted to he'd have to settle for giving her what she needed. He would be her friend, her protector. That was why he refused the cure, he refused it for her, so that he could protect her. Since protection was all he could give her that he'd accept, he would make sure that it was something he could give.

He cut a slice of the cake and carried it over to Caroline.

"Want cake?" He asked.

She looked up him and smiled as she took the plate, "Thanks."

She propped the plate on her huge stomach, and Stefan struggled not to laugh at how ridiculous she looked.

"Happy birthday, Care," He said.

She took and squeezed his hand, "Thanks, Stefan."

"You look beautiful," He said before he could stop himself.

She laughed out loud, "I look like a giant human incubator, but thanks for lying."

Stefan laughed as well because it was easier than trying to convince her how beautiful she was to him.

* * *

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	30. Chapter 30

"Who's this one from?" Caroline asked, picking up the last gift and shaking it gently.

She looked around the room, but no one jumped to take credit for the plainly wrapped brown package.

"Haley?" Caroline asked, looking at her hybrid friend.

"Not me." Haley said.

Caroline looked the present over for a name tag, but she couldn't find one, so she slipped her finger under the seam and tore the paper. She opened the small box. Inside was a small diamond bracelet exactly like the one Klaus had given to her for her last birthday. She picked it up and showed it to everyone.

"Seriously, who's this from," She said.

"Caroline, drop it!" Bonnie launched out of her seat, but she was too late.

The bracelet, moving of its own accord latched itself around Caroline's wrist.

"Oh my god, oh my god," Caroline said as she struggled with the fastening to get the bracelet off, but the bracelet seemed to have fused itself together. "Somebody get wire cutters or something."

"That won't work," Bonnie said. She came over and studied the piece of jewelry.

"What do you mean that won't work?" Caroline demanded.

"Somebody spelled this bracelet on, it will take magic to get it off." Bonnie said.

"So use some magic," Caroline said.

"Not my magic," Bonnie said, "It's some kind of binding spell. This is some of the most powerful magic I've ever seen. The only person taking this bracelet off is the person who spelled it on." Bonnie said.

"Is there any way you can you figure that out?" Caroline asked.

"I can try."

* * *

Stefan watched as Caroline rubbed her belly and nervously paced the almost empty living room. Traces of the birthday party were strewn across the house, but almost all the guests had gone home. Bonnie chanted over a mixture of herbs in a chalice sitting in the middle of a map of the US.

"Sit down, Caroline," Elijah said, offering her a chair.

"Can't," Caroline said, shaking her head.

"Caroline," Stefan caught her by her shoulders and forced her to stop, "it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," Caroline said.

"Do you trust me?" Stefan asked.

Caroline gave him and exasperated look. Stefan was relieved to see that she wasn't so afraid that she'd lost her ability to get annoyed with him.

"I will not let anything happen to you," He said, "Do you believe me?"

Caroline rolled her lip between her teeth, but relented, saying "I believe you."

"I've got something," Bonnie said.

Caroline pushed past Stefan to get to Bonnie.

"Who did this?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know," Bonnie said, "But I can tell you where the spell came from."

"Where?"

"New Orleans."

Caroline frowned, "I don't know anyone in New Orleans."

"Actually," Elijah interrupted, clearing his throat uneasily, "You do."

* * *

Klaus slapped paint onto the canvass with total disregard for what he was doing. He had no plan. Usually he enjoyed art because he could control the outcome through sheer force of will, but he was not in control and neither was the painting.

"Do you want to talk?" Marcel asked.

"Not particularly," Klaus said.

"Cami called, she's worried about you."

"Glad to hear that I'm providing exciting pillow talk." Klaus said, dropping the paintbrush. Not even painting offered an escape from his tumultuous thoughts.

"What's wrong, Klaus," Marcel said, "Cami said that you said today was someone's birthday, but I know for a fact that it's not the birthday of anyone in the Michaelson family."

"No," Klaus said, "It's not."

"What's got you so bent out of shape?" Marcel asked.

"Somedays are simply more difficult to live through than others, Marcellus." Klaus said.

"Alright," Marcel said, "If you don't want to talk, I can't make you."

He turned away.

Klaus looked at the half finished painting. He could see now the image he hadn't known he was drawing, a glowing figure in the midst of shadows. His bright angel in this endless night. Caroline

"There was a girl," Klaus said, he heard Marcel stop.

"There've been a lot of girls, friend." Marcel said.

"Not like this one, mate," Klaus said, "She was all light and hope and she embodied every beautiful thing I stopped believed existed." He paused, remembering when she came as his date to the Mikaelson family party. Her curls whipped his face as he turned her under his arm, and the delicate strawberry scent of her hair washed over him, he could almost smell it again, "I fancied her."

"Sounds like a hell of a girl," Marcel said, "What happened?"

"I lost her."

* * *

"Nik's the one who left," Rebekah said, "What reason would he have to do this?"

"I don't know," Caroline said, sipping the water her mother had brought her when Elijah and Stefan had forced her to sit down. All the guest had left, except for Stefan, Bonnie, Haley, and the Mikaelsons.

"Perhaps it is retaliation," Elijah proposed, "Perhaps he discovered our secret and this is his way to force you to seek him out."

"Elijah, we have known our brother for a thousand years. When have you known Nik to be passive aggressive?"

"Rebekah's right," Caroline said, "Klaus prefers aggressive aggressive solutions. If he knew about me, he'd have come here himself."

"That leads us to assume that this spell is the work of one of his enemies." Elijah surmised.

* * *

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	31. Chapter 31

"You've been here for six months, we've had how many conversation about your life before? You never mentioned her, not once." Cami said. Klaus was amused by the sharp edge of jealously in her tone.

"There are many things I've never shared with you, Camille."

"It just seems like if you were so in love with some girl, you would have mentioned her before now." Cami said. She shrugged like it made no difference to her, even though it was obvious that she cared very much.

"Sometimes the things that matter most are the most difficult to share."

"So what made her so special?" Cami asked.

Klaus smiled remembering the way Caroline had bristled when he called her special, "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

Caroline stepped off the plane, followed by her entourage of protectors. Stefan, Bonnie, Haley, and Elijah. Rebekah and her mother had wanted to come, but she insisted that they stay behind in Mystic Falls. They were both human and vulnerable. She wouldn't have them risking their lives unnecessarily. She would have come on her own, but the other wouldn't hear of it. Stefan carried her carryon, but both he and Elijah flanked her. She wished they'd let her come alone. Maybe she would have gotten herself killed, but as it was she wasn't really living. She couldn't take a step without someone rushing to her aid. She wasn't sure if Rebekah's concern was for her wellbeing of for that of the impossible pregnancy.

She looked around the airport while the other pulled their bags off the carousel.

She had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. She turned slowly, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. Her eyes stopped on a man dressed as a chauffeur. She saw the sign in his hand and flinched as she read the name "Caroline Forbes".

"Guys," she said.

The Vampires heard her over the commotion and Stefan got Bonnie's attention. Caroline pointed to the chauffeur.

"What the hell is going on?" Haley growled under her breath.

Caroline walked toward the gentleman holding the sign. Elijah caught her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"We came here for answers." Caroline said, "Seems to me the random stranger with my name on a sign would be a pretty good place to start."

He released her arm and she walked up to the chauffeur.

"I'm Caroline Forbes."

"Right," he said in a thick accent, "And all dese people are wit'cha?"

"They are."

"Right den," He said, "best be on our way."

He let them to a limo and helped them load their bags. Elijah offer Caroline a hand to get into the limo, she would have refused, but she found it difficult to slide into the low vehicle with her stomach in the way.

Haley slipped in beside Caroline before her bodyguards could claim their usual places and Caroline shot her a grateful smile.

The limo pulled away from the airport, and Caroline felt her stomach twisting into knots. She knew the limo wasn't taking them to Klaus. He hadn't known they were coming. But in a matter of hours she would see him again. She had put herself back together over the past six months, but she wasn't sure she was so healed that seeing him would break her all over again.

They drove for what felt like forever, but was probably only about a half hour. She fiddled with the bracelet latched around her wrist. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but the knowledge that she could not take it off made it weight heavy as a shackle.

"How you doing?" Haley asked under her breath.

Caroline inhaled deeply and looked out at the unfamiliar city. It was beautiful, full of life and history. Caroline instantly understood what would have drawn Klaus to this place. Almost exactly a year ago he had offered to show her cities like this one. What a difference a year could make.

"I think I'm about to find out." She whispered as the limo slowed to a stop in front of a grand old house.

"This is the place," the chauffeur announced.

They walked up to the front door and stopped. Caroline took a deep breath, and knocked.

The door opened to reveal a petite, elderly woman with skin like crumpled paper and piercing blue eyes.

"Caroline Forbes," She said in a voice crackling with age, "The girl who lives again. I have heard a great deal about you."

"Who are you?" Caroline asked.

"My name is Josephine," she said, "And I am a friend." She stepped aside. "Please come in. You may bring your witch, but I must insist that your Vampires wait outside."

"Yeah," Haley said, stepping in front of Caroline, "that's not going to happen."

"The pleasantries were but a formality," Josephine said, "In truth, I wasn't asking. She will enter, and you will not."

"How do we know that she will be safe in your hands?" Elijah asked.

"We'll just have to learn to trust each other." Josephine said, pressing her mouth together in a lipless smile.

"It's okay," Bonnie said, "I'll make sure she's safe."

Elijah's jaw locked in displeasure, but he gave his assent in a quick jerk of his head.

Caroline took her best friend's hand and together they stepped over the threshold and into the witch's house.

"I am sorry for the theatrics," Josephine said as she led the girls into a spacious sitting room, "but I have learned to treat vampires with a degree of suspect, especially those who bear the last name Mikaelson."

"No need to apologize. I have some experience with Mikaelson's myself," Caroline said as she and Bonnie took the offered seats.

"So I have heard." Josephine said, inclining her head.

"Have you," Caroline said, "And do I have you to thank for this?"

She held up her wrist to display the bracelet.

"No, for that you can thank my mother."

Caroline launched to her feet, as best she could, and spun around. She recognized the voice instantly, but it was not the Mikaelson she expected to find in the Quarter.

"Kol," she breathed.

Kol flashed a mischievous grin and Caroline could feel Bonnie preparing to attack her.

"Hello Caroline," He said, "Can I call you Caroline? Miss Forbes feels a bit too formal, don't you think?"

"What are you doing here?" Caroline demanded.

"Is that any way to talk to the person who's currently saving your life?"

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! It totally slipped my mind yesterday!**


	32. Chapter 32

"The bracelet links Caroline to Kol," Josephine explained once Caroline had managed to get her to agree to allow the vampires into her home, "So long as she wears it she cannot bleed. If she is cut, Kol bleeds in her place."

"But why did you do that?" Stefan asked.

"Because through Klaus's own stupidity, our mother has risen again." Kol said, "She is back, more powerful than ever, and set on undoing what she sees as her greatest mistake, making her children into vampires."

"What does any of this have to do with Caroline?" Stefan asked.

"She knows that Caroline has the cure in her blood." Kol said, "She plans to use Caroline's blood to cure her children."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Bonnie said.

"And through us, every vampire we ever created," Kol said.

Bonnie made a face that made it clear that she saw no problem with a world that had no vampires in it. Stefan frowned, because he wouldn't mind being human, but he had a feeling that there was more at stake than immortality.

"So what's the problem?" Stefan asked.

"To do such a spell, Esther would have to drain all of the cure from Caroline," Josephine said, "and with it, every last drop of her blood."

"So," Kol said, "to cure the world of vampires, my mother intends to kill Caroline."

Bonnie's calloused expression slipped away. She might be willing to through vampires as a whole under the bus, but Stefan knew that she would never agree to it if it would cost the life of someone she cared about.

"But the bracelet solves the problem?* Bonnie pressed.

"Temporarily.* Kol nodded. *But our mother is very resourceful. She will find a way around it. It's just a matter of time. If we are going to prevent this, we need to stop her, permanently."

"And how do you suggest we do that, brother?" Elijah asked. Stefan noticed that his gaze was focused on Caroline even as he spoke to his brother. His expression was tight and unreadable.

"I suggest she," Kol indicated Caroline, "finds a way to convince Nik to help us."

* * *

"I have to face him alone," Caroline said, as she left the house with Elijah. He had volunteered to show her the way to where he was sure Klaus would be staying.

"That's foolish," Elijah said, shaking his head. He wouldn't let her put herself in jeopardy. He'd always thought she was a nice girl, but in the past six months she had become more than that. She was family. He would protect her and not just because she was pregnant. He had come to care what happened to her deeply. His feelings were purely platonic, but he wasn't accustomed to caring this much for someone outside his immediate family. He'd loved Katherine that way, intensely, loyally, but he could only stand aside so long before he had to stop turning a blind eye on the manipulative monster he and Klaus had twisted her into. He would always hate himself for what he'd done to her, both five hundred years ago and six months ago, but she had left him no other choice and he would not let her continue to hurt other people, especially not Caroline. But now Caroline was in danger again and he would do anything to make sure the danger passed and she was safe.

They were across the street from the Mikaelson family home. Elijah felt a startling longing at the sight of the place he'd abandoned nearly a hundred years ago. Though the city had grown and changed around it, it remained exactly the same as he remembered it. It was the one place where he'd truly been happy and even dared to believe he could make a lasting home. He had not realized how much it had hurt to leave it all behind until he saw the place again.

"If you go in, this will turn into a Mikaelson family reunion and we both know those usually end with someone getting daggered." Caroline pointed out. She was right, but he didn't want to admit it. She pressed on. "Besides, he'll be so furious that you allowed me to keep this secret for so long that he won't hear anything else either of us says."

"He could kill you." Elijah said. He grabbed her wrist and looked her in the eye, willing her to realize just how much danger she was walking into.

"He could," Caroline said with a shrug, "but I don't think he will."

Elijah studied the pretty blonde. Sometimes she reminded him so much of his sister. She was brave and determined and foolhardy like Rebekah. She could be the equal of any man by sheer force of will. Perhaps he was the foolish one to let her go, but he knew that if anyone could convince Klaus to help people he had every reason to hold a grudge against, it would be Caroline. She had proven time and again to be his weak spot.

"I will be close," He promised.

"I'm counting on it." She said, gently pulling free of his grip. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and turned away, crossing the street.

* * *

Caroline felt herself shaking as she made her way through the arched entrance to the New Orleans Mikaelson home. The entryway opened into a large courtyard. She looked around the large courtyard, the Mikaelson "M" carved into the architecture all around. She walked around, trying to determine what part would be considered the front door.

A fountain babbled near the middle of the courtyard and Caroline walked over to take a closer look.

She felt a sharp kick in her belly and realized that it was a reaction to her panicked heartbeat.

"It's okay," she promised, gently stroking her stomach, "We're okay."

"Cami, what are you doing here?"

Caroline looked over her shoulder and saw a handsome man with dark skin and a closely cropped black hair exit the house. He saw her unfamiliar face and stopped in his tracks, he looked her over, warily.

"You're not Cami," the man said.

"No, I'm not," Caroline replied.

A charming grin stretched across his handsome face as he slowly walked toward her.

"What's a pretty young thing like you doing here? You must not be from these parts or else you'd know better than to wander into the home of the big bad wolf." He said with a smile, but Caroline recognized the look in his eyes, hunger. He was a vampire.

She drew herself up tall, making it clear that she would not be intimidated.

"I'm not afraid of Klaus Mikaelson." She said, calmly.

She turned to face the vampire. His eyes dropped to her round stomach and he immediately took a step back.

"Is he here?" Caroline pressed.

He frowned, his interest obviously peaked, and he nodded saying "He is."

"I need to speak with him." She said, "It's urgent."

* * *

**Gah! Weird Monday! Sorry for the wait!**

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	33. Chapter 33

Klaus heard Marcel and another person approaching. He sighed and dropped his paint brush vehemently.

"Marcel, what part of 'Not to be disturbed' is so difficult for you to grasp?" Klaus snapped as he turned to greet his friend with his obvious displeasure, but he was stopped in his tracks when he saw her.

"Caroline," he breathed a whisper that tore through him like razorblades.

"Hello Klaus," She said evenly, even though he could hear her heart racing inside her fragile human chest.

But there was something else. Something new.

He looked down and saw her swollen body, obvious despite her loose fitting maternity shirt. His emotions warred within him. Jealousy rose first. It had been impossible to imagine another man's hands on Caroline Forbes without having a wild desire to rip that man's head off. He'd known when he left Caroline that she would eventually move on with her life. It was what he wanted for her. He wanted her to have a long human life. He wanted her to be happy. But not so quickly.

He had thrown himself into his campaign to reclaim New Orleans to distract himself from the knowledge that Caroline's brief existence was passing hundreds of miles away. He tried not imagine where she was or what she was doing because he knew that the very thought of her would have the power to draw him back to her.

He'd been aching for her and she'd be letting some unworthy boy touch her.

The initial jealousy subsided when he noticed the look on Caroline's face. She tried to hide it beneath a cold glare, but he could see it plainly. She was still in love with him.

Marcel looked between Klaus and Caroline.

"I'm guessing you're the girl?" He asked.

Caroline didn't look away from Klaus as she replied, "I'm the girl."

Klaus felt an instinctive smirk creep onto his face. Despite the way they had parted, Caroline knew better than to believe the lie he told her when he ripped her heart out… figuratively for one. He may have left her, but she would have been a fool to think that he didn't love her, no matter what he said to the contrary.

"Would you give us a minute, Marcel?" Klaus asked, though he knew his tone made it very clear that it wasn't a request.

Marcel shot a wary glance at Caroline and Klaus realized that his friend was worried about her because of his 'no hurting kids' policy. He gave Marcel a look of warning and his friend left.

Once Marcel was out of earshot, Klaus looked at her.

"Do you have something to confess, Caroline?"

"I'm pregnant ." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, that is rather obvious." Klaus slowly crossed the distance between them. "And the father?"

"Matt," She said smoothly, "You'd left and I was hurting and one thing just sort of lead to another."

Klaus stopped walking. Her response jarred him. He knew that his sister had been shacking up with the quarterback since she became human, he didn't hear from her often, but often enough to know that. It was an obvious lie, and Klaus could only think of one reason she would lie about this.

"I don't believe you," He said.

"Well, it's the truth." She said, with the same prickly hostility that he knew she used to cover up the things she didn't want to feel.

"If Matt Donavan had fathered your children, that boy would have married you," Klaus said, leaning toward her to whisper in her ear. "You're not wearing a ring."

"We decided we wanted different things." Caroline said, backing away from him.

"Lies."

Caroline took a step back and bumped into the wall. Klaus didn't stop, he didn't stop until his body pressed her tight against the wall. He wrapped his hand around her throat, stroking one finger along her jawline. His touch held a threat, but there was something tender about his dangerous caress. He remembered he'd once told her that she was beautiful but that he would kill her if she didn't stop talking. Now he would kill her if she didn't start.

He leaned close, closing his eyes as he listened to the trio of heartbeats coming from one body.

"Admit it, love," His warm whisper brushed her ear, "They're mine."

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, but it's Klaroline!**

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	34. Chapter 34

"They're not yours." Caroling snapped. "Even if they were… They aren't now."

Klaus frowned, clearly annoyed by her comment.

"Keep your secrets, if you'd like, but I know you're lying," He whispered.

Caroline clenched her jaw shut, she wasn't sure why she felt the need to antagonize Klaus when he asked her about the paternity of the twins. Her plan had been to stride in and demand his help being upfront about everything, and then she saw him and everything changed.

The Vampire call Marcel called her 'the girl' and she supposed he was right. She was the girl, the girl who was stupid enough to think that Klaus Mikaelson was worth loving when he had actively done everything in his power to prove her wrong. She was the girl who still wanted to see the good in Klaus, but she was also the girl running out of the will to care.

She said Matt was the father because he was the only human she could think of among her Mystic Falls friends. The moment she said it she knew he'd see right through the lie. She'd been foolish to think that Rebekah had severed ties with her brother after a thousand year. But now that she was caught in the lie she didn't want to admit the truth, because the truth was Klaus might be the father, but the babies weren't his to claim ownership of and she wasn't either. Not anymore and never again, she told herself, even though her heart hammered violently in her chest at his proximity.

"What are you doing here then?" Klaus breathed against her neck. "If not to deliver unto Caesar what is Caesars'?"

"I came to warn you that you're in danger," Caroline said. "We both are."

"I'm rarely in real danger," Klaus said, releasing her and returning to his painting.

"It's real this time," Caroline said, stubbornly.

"Who's the threat?" Klaus asked, picking up his paint brush.

"Your mother," Caroline said.

His paint brush halted before it touched the canvas. "My mother is dead."

"Yeah, because you Mikaelson's are so good at staying dead." She said, rolling her eyes.

Klaus smirked and the quickening of her heart that it elicited made her flush with anger, knowing that he could hear it.

"And what would she care about my connection to you."

"Former connection." Caroline corrected quickly.

He smirked again, which really riled her. He was supposed to be contrite and apologetic, especially considering how things went the last time they spoke, but instead he was practically taunting her. She wanted to storm out in a show of temper, but she couldn't do that. As much as she wanted to hate him, she knew that if she wanted to keep herself and the twins safe, she was going to need him.

"What would she care about my former connection to you," Klaus amended.

"Not everything is about you, Klaus," Caroline snapped, "She's after me. She wants to cure all vampires and bleed me dry in the process."

Klaus's infamous smirk faltered and his eyes softened with genuine concern.

"She intends to kill you?" Klaus whispered as a flicker of real emotion bled through his adopted calm. "You're acting quite cavalier, considering."

"Somebody always wants to kill me these days," Caroline said, with a weary shrug, "It's kind of my life now."

Klaus stared at her. She got the distinct feeling that he wanted to shake her, but he did nothing. She counted down the seconds until she could leave. As much as her heart burned at the sight of him, she knew he would eventually run away again and that would only bring her more pain. She needed his help to stay alive but she didn't want him back in her life, not one second longer than necessary. He was a danger to her, one she feared more than the threat of Esther.

Klaus Mikaelson had always been dangerous and he was no less dangerous to her than he was to anyone else. He was gentle with her, but she had no doubt that he was capable of killing her if he had to, but he would kill her softly. He would break her bit by bit until he'd destroyed her completely, if she let him. But she wouldn't let him. She was done giving love to people who didn't have enough left to give her anything in return.

"I should go." She said, starting toward the door.

Klaus's eyes flashed dangerously, "Go? Why would you think I'd let you go anywhere?"

"The others are waiting for me." She explained.

She saw the gears turning in Klaus's head and his jaw set.

"You mean Elijah's waiting for you." He said. His eyes flashed with rage as he realized his own brother's involvement in keeping him in the dark up until now.

She shrugged, not wanting to provoke him by tacking on another lie.

"Well, if Elijah wants you back, he's going to have to come in here and get you." Klaus said, in a low, dangerous growl.

"Klaus," Caroline said, shaking her head. She started toward the door, but he grabbed her wrist yanked her to a stop. She yelped, because it actually hurt. "Klaus, you're hurting me."

"I'm waiting, Elijah!" He shouted, knowing his brother would be listening in.

"Klaus, let go of me." Caroline snapped.

"He knew and he didn't tell me, my own brother betrayed me." He growled. "I will not let that go."

"Let her go, Niklaus." Elijah said evenly.

Caroline and Klaus looked toward the door and Klaus released her wrist and took a step toward Elijah.

"Hello brother." Klaus said, glaring darkly at his brother.

Elijah straightened the sleeve of his suit, calmly, "Caroline, would you please excuse us?"

He beckoned Caroline to come to him, but Klaus put up a hand to stop her.

"You knew." Klaus said to Elijah.

Elijah looked his half-brother over slowly, his expression unreadable.

"I did." He nodded.

"And you didn't tell me."

He raised an eyebrow, "Obviously."

"Klaus, stop this." Caroline said, "I'm the reason he didn't tell you. If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me."

"Oh, love, I am." Klaus said. "But I'm quite good at multitasking when it comes to vendettas."

"Really, Niklaus," Elijah sighed. "Do try to be less dramatic."

Klaus smirked, but he sped across the room and bit Elijah on the neck. He stepped back, wiping the blood on his mouth off on his sleeve.

"Alright," He smirked, looking quite pleased with himself. "I'll try to be less dramatic."

"Klaus!" Caroline yelled at him. She stormed up to him and swung her hand to slap him, but he caught her hand easily. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Her eyes darted over to Elijah who held his bloody neck.

"He'll live," Klaus shrugged. "I thought that was rather generous, considering."

"Considering what?" Caroline snapped. "You left me, Klaus, you don't get to play the victim now just because it suits your mood."

He glared at her releasing her hand, "It would be in your best interest not to anger me, love."

"Give him your blood." Caroline demanded.

"I didn't bite him to instantly cure him." He smirked. "That defeats the purpose of retaliation."

"Caroline, I'm fine." Elijah assured her.

"No, no you're not." She glared at Klaus. "Why do you do this? Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Lash out at the people who love you." She snapped.

* * *

Klaus flinched when she said the word love. It was too much to hope she still felt that way about him after everything that had transpired between them. He saw her expression falter as she realized the implication of her own words.

"Elijah loves you." She amended, hurriedly, "He defends you even though you obviously don't deserve it."

"Funny, because what you call love looks a lot like betrayal to me." He said, his eyes drifting down to her stomach pointedly.

"God! You are so not even worth the breath I waste talking to you." Caroline turned away in frustration.

And he snapped. He'd spent too long forcing himself to stay away for her sake to take this. He couldn't take this abuse, not from her, not after all she'd put him through. He pushed her away, forgetting for a moment that she was human and weak. She slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor. Klaus froze. All his anger dissipated instantly and in its place all he felt was a chilling fear.

"Caroline?" He rushed to her side.

"Caroline!" Elijah pushed him aside and brushed her tousled hair from her face. "Caroline, are you alright?"

She looked slightly dazed, but she nodded. Elijah shot Klaus a dark look as he gathered her up in his arms.

"You will not touch her again, Niklaus." Elijah said, the words sounding like a threat, "We will contact you when we need your help and you will do your part."

Klaus nodded, still horrified by what he could have done. He looked around and grabbed a glass. He bit into his wrist and let the blood drip.

"Take this." He said.

Elijah looked skeptical, "Why?"

"Because," Klaus said, "You're the one who'll protect her."

* * *

**Sorry for the wait! I had eye surgery last week so I got a little behind on some things!**

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	35. Chapter 35

Hayley jumped to her feet and rushed to greet them protectively when Elijah came into the house, carrying Caroline.

"What happened? Is she okay?" She knelt beside Caroline as Elijah sat her down on the couch.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Caroline said, obviously finding all the fuss over her welfare a little annoying.

"Niklaus had a slight tantrum.* Elijah explained, his hand went instinctively to his neck even thought it was almost healed since he'd taken the blood before leaving the compound.

Hayley flashed him an angry look. She hadn't been happy that Caroline asked her to stay behind. She understood that Caroline had wanted to keep her safe, seeing as Klaus likely wouldn't be pleased that his devoted hybrid had neglected to tell him about the miracle pregnancy, but she still didn't like being told to sit and stay like a dog.

"Slight?" Hayley snapped. She'd trusted Elijah to bring Caroline back unharmed and this wasn't nearly good enough in her opinion. "He doesn't get to have tantrum, no matter how slight. She's pregnant for God sake!"

"I said I'm fine." Caroline said, starting to get up, but Hayley gave her a look and pushed her back down.

"I'm fine, too." Kol interjected, sarcastically. "You know, since I'm the one who was actually on the receiving end of the damage."

Hayley rolled her eyes in complete exasperation. Not only had she been left alone, but she was left in the company of Kol Mikaelson. She wasn't a big fan of vampires, she had the sire bond forcing her to like Klaus and Elijah wasn't bad even if he had a tree branch stuck up his ass, but she found their younger brother cocky and completely annoying, a fact that being subjected to his company while Elijah and Caroline went to see Klaus didn't help.

"You'll live," She said, scathingly. "Unfortunately."

He smirked, placing a hand over his heart as though he had one, "Sticks and stones, darling."

She made a disgusted sound and looked away from him. Maybe she was part vampire now, but that didn't mean she had to like them, especially tools like that self-centered obnoxious leech.

* * *

Josephine set all of them up with rooms in her house, which she graciously offered for the duration of their stay, saying it would be easier to monitor the spell if Caroline remained in close proximity to Kol. Since Caroline was exhausted by the day of traveling and her run in with Klaus, she decided to shower and call it a night.

She stepped out of the bathroom in her flannel pajama pants and tank top stretched comically over her inflated stomach. She stopped when she saw Stefan sitting on her bed, waiting for her to come back.

"Stefan…" She looked at him, surprised to find him in her room.

"I just wanted to check on you, without all the drama downstairs." He said, looking her over slowly as though he would catch some little bit of damage that all the others missed. *You seemed a little shaken up."

She shrugged, wearily, as she sat down beside him, "I'm fine. It wasn't fun seeing him, but I'm fine."

He wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back and she sighed, because it felt really good, her back had been so tight for the past few weeks, yet another annoying byproduct of pregnancy.

"So he didn't take it well?" Stefan asked.

"Since when does Klaus take anything well?" Caroline laughed a little. She winced because she was a little sore from Klaus pushing her. It had hurt when she hit the wall, but it wasn't like she was made of glass just because she was human again. "He wasn't going to let me leave but then Elijah came in and they had a little pissing contest where Klaus bit Elijah. It was all very exciting."

She was being sarcastic because she didn't find anything about this situation remotely exciting or amusing. All she wanted to do was live her life in peace in Mystic Falls. She didn't want to go traipsing across the country and find herself forced to beg Klaus for help. She knew he'd do everything in his power to keep her safe especially now that he knew about the babies. His ego wouldn't allow anything else. He'd see the twins as some kind of trophies, the "heirs" to his psychopathic legacy.

"Sounds like it." Stefan said, matching her tone.

She just shrugged in defeat.

"I didn't want any of this, you know?" She lamented. She felt Stefan nod.

"I know." He said. "I didn't want any of this for you, either."

She sighed heavily, melting into the comfort of a friend.

"God, I'm glad I have you, Stefan." She admitted.

"You'll always have me, Caroline." He whispered.

His words made her feel a twinge of confusion, but she pushed it down. Stefan didn't have any feelings for her besides friendship, there'd been a time when she could have felt more for him, but too much had happened since then and she wasn't the same person she'd been back when she had harbored feeling for him.

"You're a good friend." She whispered. She felt him stiffen, but she decided that she imagined that as well.

* * *

Bonnie felt more comfortable once Josephine went over the details of the linking spell with her. She'd been worried about Caroline, but the older witch was thorough and very knowledgeable when it came to magic. Bonnie was powerful, but she could recognize that she was nowhere near Josephine's equal when it came to actually making a spell.

"And you're sure it will hold?" Bonnie asked.

Josephine nodded, "For a while, but Esther is resourceful and determined. It's a temporary fix, not a solution."

Bonnie nodded. She knew that almost any spell could be broken with enough time and skill.

"What about the cure?" She asked, "Do you think there's a way we could siphon it out of her blood?"

Josephine shook her head, "The cure is old magic, and very strong. It has likely bonded with every cell in your friend's body. I don't think there is a way to undo that."

Bonnie sighed. It wasn't that she wanted Caroline to be a vampire again, because she didn't, but she didn't like that having the cure in her blood kept her in constant danger. Caroline would never be completely safe simply because of her blood and the properties it now possessed.

* * *

Klaus sulked in his room with a crystal decanter of bourbon. His half-finished painting lay torn and broken in the fireplace. After months of missing Caroline Forbes, longing to see and touch her, he finally had and it made everything so much worse. She was pregnant. As impossible as it seemed, he was going to be a father.

He'd never really thought about being a father. He'd been attracted to a few girls, including the doppelgänger before his mother turned him, but he had not been serious enough about any of them to marry one and start a family. Then once he was a vampire, everything was different, fatherhood hadn't been a possibility. Now that it was not only a possibility, but a reality, he wanted it. He wanted Caroline and he wanted the twins, they were his. Caroline could try to deny it, but all three of them were his. And he would have his family. He would find a way to keep them safe from Esther and then he'd find a way to simply keep them. All of them.

"You have that look." Marcel commented as he entered the room.

Klaus smirked up at him, "What look, Marcellus?"

"You're scheming." Marcel observed.

Klaus's smirk broadened.

"Yes… I am."

* * *

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	36. Chapter 36

Klaus dragged the knife across the warlock's skin, smirking as the young screamed in pain.

"Now, I'm going to ask you once again." He said, his voice even. "What do you know of the resurrection of Esther Mikaelson?"

"I'll never tell you anything." The warlock spat vehemently.

Klaus smirked because ordinarily he'd find the man's grit admirable, but right now he just needed him to break. He felt a twinge annoyance that it bothered him when he thought about what Caroline would think of his current methods, and knew that she would be upset with him. He shrugged the feeling off, reminding himself that his concern wasn't keeping her happy, it was keeping her alive.

If he'd been overly concerned with keeping her happy, he never would have left Mystic Falls.

He cut the warlock again, "You will… I have all the time in the world."

"Brute force, Niklaus? Really?" Elijah's voice came from behind him. "I would have liked to think you would have had a more elegant plan."

Klaus stiffened at his brother's voice. "What are you doing here, Elijah? You should be with Caroline."

"Caroline is well protected." Elijah said. "I would appreciate if you didn't insinuate that I would put her in jeopardy."

Klaus turned and scowled at his brother darkly, "I don't know that I know what you're capable of anymore, brother, because I never would have imagined a betrayal like this from you. Weren't you the one who swore that family would come first, always and forever?"

"I did, and that has never wavered. I simply made a choice." Elijah said, straightening his tie and smoothing down his immaculate suit. "I chose to protect the portion of our family that most needed my care."

Klaus flinched, because he'd realized that Caroline was more than a passing fancy a long time ago, she'd managed in a few short months to do something that no one else, somewhat excepted on Marcel, had accomplished in over a thousand years. She had become a Mikaelson. She was counted among the handful that was a part of the oath made to always protect one another. He knew he felt that way about her, but he was surprised to hear it from Elijah.

"Yet you leave her to the care of others?" Klaus said, glibly.

Elijah's expression grew cold, "Don't question my commitment to keeping that girl safe. You have no idea what I've sacrificed for her. For you."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, his interest genuinely peaked as he did not know Elijah to show such bursts of emotion often.

"And what have you sacrificed."

Elijah met Klaus's gaze evenly.

"I ripped out Katerina Petrova's heart because she was going to kill Caroline." He tone was collected, but Klaus could she the internal battle raging behind his dark eyes. "We destroyed her and many before her, Klaus and history will not repeat itself with Caroline. I will not allow it."

Klaus scowled, "You won't allow it?"

Elijah drew himself up to stand tall, his posture stiff.

"No, Niklaus… I won't." Elijah said calmly. "And if you care for her as much as I believe you do, you won't either." He searched his brother's face and Klaus knew what he was looking for. The brother he knew before a thousand years had turned them both into something else. "Perhaps it is not too late for either of us to find redemption, brother."

* * *

Caroline lay on the couch in Josephine's living room. No one would let her leave the house and she was bored out of her mind. Her hands were resting on her inflated stomach and a small smile played across her lips. She'd been able to feel the twins moving on the inside for quite a while, it had started out feeling like butterflies in her stomach, but now she could feel it from the outside as well, their little kicks kissing the palms of her hands.

"Care?" Bonnie's voiced roused her from her half-sleeping daze.

Caroline propped herself up on her elbows a bit and looked at her friend. She felt a twinge of sadness, because even though they'd grown back together, she felt a gulf between them. Just because she was human again, didn't erase the things that happened between them while she was a vampire. It still stung to know what Bonnie had said about her and it was hard knowing what she thought of Klaus… even though Caroline was incline to agree with her. Falling for Klaus had been a mistake, a stupid mistake, but that didn't change the fact that he was the father of the babies rapidly growing inside of her. As much as she wanted to hate his guts, she knew that he would always be a part of her now, whether she like him or not.

"Hey Bonnie." She made a face as one of the twins gave a particularly sharp kick to her spleen.

Bonnie rushed over to her, "Care, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She assured her, waving off her concern. "They're just kicking harder these days."

Bonnie sat down beside her, "Does it hurt?"

Caroline shrugged, "It's a little uncomfortable sometimes. Want to feel?"

Bonnie gave her a surprised look, "Do you mind?"

Caroline shook her head and took Bonnie's hand, placing it over one of the more active areas. Bonnie's brow furrowed and Caroline could tell she was concentrating really hard on trying to feel something. The look of surprise on her face was comical when a sharp kick hit her hand. Caroline laughed and Bonnie gave her an impressed look.

"How are you not black and blue?"

Caroline shrugged, "It's really not that bad… you get used to it."

Bonnie nodded, but she looked skeptical.

They fell into a lengthy silence. There had been a time when they never ran out of things to talk about, but that had changed.

"I looked over Josephine's spell." Bonnie said. "I think you're as safe as you can be."

Caroline nodded, she was never entirely safe, not now that she was human and her blood was the cure to vampirism. She would never have any version of the life she'd wanted as a human or a vampire, but she was learning to live with that.

"Thanks, Bonnie." Caroline said. "You didn't have to come all this way. I know it was inconvenient, especially considering your classes."

Bonnie met her gaze, "I'll always be here for you, Care. We're best friends… not matter what."

Caroline nodded, but it was easy to say, and much more difficult to believe.

"I know." She lied.

* * *

Hayley killed time out in the backyard of Josephine's doing yoga. She didn't want to deal with anyone inside, mostly because Caroline was in a pissy mood being coddled like a child and Kol seemed to be going out of his way to annoy Hayley every chance he got. It was sweltering and the humidity was so heavy that she felt like she had to swim through the thick air. She moved into downward facing dog and heard a chuckle. She looked up and saw Kol standing over her.

"What is it?" She snapped.

"Downward facing dog," He smirked, "Just thought it was fitting."

"Ha ha." She said slow and sarcastic. "Because I'm a werewolf." She stood up and rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious."

Kol smirked, "I like to think so, and glad I'm not the only one who appreciates my talents."

Hayley scoffed and grabbed her towel, wiping away her sweat, "Sure… Talents. Like being an annoying pain in my ass? Great talent."

Kol chuckled, "Well, an ass like that deserves special attention, darling."

She let out a low growl of annoyance, letting her eyes flash gold, "Don't call me darling."

"Scary." Kol joked. "You realize your bite can't hurt me, don't you?"

"No, it can't kill you." She glared at him, "But it will hurt like hell."

"Promises, promises," Kol's eyes danced with a nearly manic glee. "But I think you're just going to disappoint me, aren't you?"

Haley scoffed and shouldered past him.

"Next time, darling." Kol called after her.

* * *

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	37. Chapter 37

Klaus watched the witch's house. He could see Caroline and Bonnie through the living room window. He didn't like that she was so exposed. Someone could easily harm her from the street, or across it, like he was. He crouched on the roof of the house across the street, listening in on their conversation. He honestly didn't care about anything that came out of the Bennet witch's mouth, but she was making Caroline talk, and for that he was grateful. He closed his eyes and just listened to her lulling voice.

He'd missed her. He'd missed everything about her. He'd forgotten how she lit up a room just be being in it. As angry as he was with Elijah, his brother was right. Caroline Forbes was special and he couldn't treat her with the same disregard he'd applied to those who came before her. He wouldn't be responsible for dimming her glorious light.

He realized that someone was watching him and he stiffened.

"What are you doing here, Marcel?" He demanded.

Marcel walked across the roof and sat down beside Klaus, looking across the street at Caroline.

"She's a pretty thing, isn't she?" Marcel fished, gently. "Guess someone's a lucky guy.*

He knew Marcel was referring to the individual who had made Caroline pregnant, since he wouldn't ever think that it could be Klaus's. Klaus knew Marcel was trustworthy, but he wasn't in the mood for sharing.

"I guess so." He said flatly.

"So do you have a plan yet?"

"A plan?"

"Yeah a plan, a plan for getting her back." Marcel gave him a look that made it clear that he was well aware that Klaus wasn't done with the pretty blonde who turned up out of the blue.

Klaus smirked, "Who says I want her back?"

Marcel gave him a look, and Klaus felt an ache in his gut even pretending that he didn't still love her.

"What if she's better off without me?" He asked.

* * *

Cami hadn't heard from Klaus or Marcel in a few days and that never boded well. When the two of them dropped off the radar it usually involved mass murder. She knew if she was smart, she would have skipped town months ago, but between her professional and romantic interest in the two of them and the fact that her last remaining family member, her uncle, was never going to leave, she couldn't bring herself to pack up and go.

"Can I get a bourbon?"

Cami looked up and saw a handsome young man sitting at the bar, only problem was that he looked about eighteen.

"Can I see some ID?" She countered.

He laughed, "You don't need to see ID."

She raised an eyebrow, "I don't, do I?"

She saw his gaze flick to her vervain bracelet and he frowned. She realized he was a vampire and had tried, and failed, to compel her and she quickly poured him a drink.

"I take it you're older than you look?" She asked, nonchalantly.

"You could say that." He smirked and sipped the bourbon, "A friend of Klaus?"

"Does Klaus have friends?" Cami shrugged, wiping out a glass.

"He has playthings," the deceptively young man shrugged, "for him that's basically the same thing."

She offered him her hand, "I'm Camille."

He took her hand and shook it firmly, "Stefan Salvatore."

* * *

Hayley looked back, distracted from her otherwise pleasant walk in the woods and rolled her eyes as she saw Kol following her.

"Seriously?" She said. "What part of back off are you having so much trouble with?"

Kol smirked, "All of it."

His eyes wandered over her appreciatively and she made a disparaging sound in case she hadn't made her opinion of him clear enough already.

"You see," He continued. "You keep telling me to bugger off, darling, but it lacks conviction."

Hayley shook her head in annoyance and continued walking. He used his vamp speed to catch up with her.

"Admit it, wolf girl," He teased flirtatiously, "You like me, just a little bit."

She gave him a reproachful look, "I like you about as much as I liked being forced to change every full moon."

His eyes dance, "Interesting that you chose to compare me to an activity where you were naked"

She gave him a scathing look, but he ignored it.

"You totally want me, darling." He smirked like she'd just proved his point, but she was pretty sure she hadn't.

She used her hybrid strength to slam him up against a tree. She bit her lip seductive and pressed up against.

"You're right." She murmured in his ear. "I totally want you," She ran her hands over his body. "To fuck off."

She pushed away from him and smirked, feeling vindicated, until he started laughing.

"Stick and stones, love."

* * *

Elijah stood in the doorway, watching the elderly witch casting locator spells in search of Esther. He had not expected it to work, but he was glad to see that something was being done. He was skeptical of Klaus's intended method of torturing random witches until somebody shared something useful.

"Any luck?"

He looked around and saw Caroline standing behind him, peeking around him at Josephine.

"Nothing so far." He said, looking her over. She looked pale and tired. "You should be resting."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "All I've been doing is resting. I need a rest from resting."

She smirked at him and he smiled softly. He could only imagine how tired she was of being treated like she was made of glass by everyone around her. He was likely one of the worst, but it seemed to annoy her slightly less coming from him. He wondered if it was because she knew how much the twins meant to him, how deeply he hoped they would bring out a side of Klaus that he'd lost touch with centuries ago. Maybe it was because like her, despite all the reasons not to, he still loved Klaus.

Elijah glanced back at Josephine. He didn't foresee anything particularly game changing occurring in the next few hours so he turned his attention back to Caroline.

"What do you say to a tour of the Quarter from one of the people who know it best?"

She smiled a real smile and it lit up her face. Elijah couldn't help but smile back. There was something about her, something about her warmth that melted even his stiffest tendencies. She felt like family, but the kind that he remembered from when he was human before centuries of feuds and bickering warped their connection. He loved her. It was in a purely innocent, platonic way, but he loved her.

"You have no idea how great that sounds." She agreed enthusiastically.

Elijah chuckled, because he had a fairly good idea of exactly how desperate she was to escape the house for a bit. It was better with him, then her foolishly sneaking out because she was desperate for a change of scenery.

"How do beignets sound?"

Caroline looked like she could kiss him out of gratitude, Hayley was forcing Caroline to stick to a pregnancy appropriate diet of whole and boring foods and Elijah was surprised that the hybrid was still alive.

* * *

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	38. Chapter 38

"So let me make sure I've got this this straight. You're a vampire who hates being a vampire who is best friends with the girl who is the cure to vampirism. But you won't take the cure because you want to stay strong enough keep her safe because you accidentally fell in love with her after she helped you get over your ex. But now she's pregnant with someone else's twins and you know you can never be with her… Did I get it all?"

Stefan looked at the pretty bartender named Cami. He was pretty sure he was giving her psychology major a real workout. He shook his head, laughing at himself and this whole situation.

"Well it sounds bad when you put it that way," He said, shrugging.

"Oh, and how would you put it?" She asked.

"That way."

She laughed and it made him laugh as well. It felt good to laugh. He used to laugh with Caroline, but she didn't laugh much anymore and that made him sad. She was the person who could always get him out of his own head, get him to stop worrying so much and just let go.

He wasn't sure if she was that person anymore. He was too busy trying to save her to be able to enjoy her company these days. She'd become a cause and he missed the days when she was just a friend and he could just make her smile with a few offhand words.

Stefan looked at Cami and took a deep breath, "Can I get you a drink sometime?"

Cami looked him over. He looked young, but he was nice and handsome and he seemed to understand what it was like to be drawn to the wrong person.

"I should say no," She said, "My dating life is complicated and I already know you're a mess, yes, that's the clinical term for it." She flashed him a smile. "And I made a rule to stay away from guys that are going to cause me trouble."

Stefan scoffed, because he'd surmised that she had something for Klaus.

"I never said I was doing a very good job of following that rule," She amended, looking at Stefan through her lashes.

"So should I take that as a yes or a no?" He asked with a charming smile.

"One drink." She said.

Stefan nodded, honestly relieved that she said yes. Given that his relationship with Elena had ended with her leaving him for his brother and his feelings for Caroline were the definition of unrequited, he was ready to have something uncomplicated and drinks with Cami seemed like they could be just that.

* * *

"Thank you, I needed that." Caroline said, pressing a kiss against Elijah's cheek. She could still taste the powdered sugar on her lips and she felt like she'd eaten her weight in unhealthy food something she hadn't been able to do since before her pregnancy, thanks to the near constant vigilance of her mother, Hayley, and Rebekah. It wasn't that she wanted fried foods all the time, but every once in a while it was just what the doctor ordered.

Elijah smiled softly and gently squeezed her hand, "I'm glad, and you're very welcome."

He'd taken her through the quarter telling her the stories of the parts of town that dated back to the time when his family ruled the city. He described it all in such vivid detail that she could picture it almost as though she had been there.

Caroline quickly found that she loved New Orleans. It was loud and vivid. No matter where they went, music seemed to float on the air and she finally felt as though she'd something beautiful, something bigger than the little town where she'd spent the entirety of her life so far. She'd felt a twinge of sadness throughout their afternoon together, because as much as she enjoyed Elijah's company, the wrong Mikaelson was showing her the city.

Klaus had offered repeatedly to show her the world. She'd scoffed at the offer at the time, but now there was nothing she would have liked more than to have him show her the world, to guide her through all the beautiful places. She imagined visiting all the greatest cities with him, with their children… but the perfect little family she let herself imagine was impossible. That was not Klaus. Klaus was not peaceful and he certainly did not have good intentions. Even if she was foolish enough to allow him back into her life she was not blind enough to think that they'd ever have a peaceful or even happy existence. She was still in love with him, but Klaus Mikaelson loved power more than he could ever love anything else. And she owed it not only to herself, but also her children, to choose better.

* * *

Klaus came by Josephine's house again, he came multiple times during the day because he couldn't think straight unless he checked that Caroline was safe. He'd followed Elijah and Caroline at a distance as his brother gave her a tour of the city. He basked in the rapt expression of awe that showed on her face as she took in the sights. He stayed out of sight, he didn't want to disrupt the experience for her. He just wanted to make sure she was safe. He didn't doubt Elijah, but the only person he truly trusted to protect his family was himself.

When they returned to the house after dark, Klaus watched from the outside. He saw Caroline retreat to her room and almost against his will he went on the porch and dragged on of the chairs over to the window. He intended to stay and watch over her while she slept. He closed his eyes and listened carefully, he cause the rapid heartbeats of the babies, his babies.

He opened his eyes and found Caroline standing at the window, staring at him as though he was a ghost. He half expected her to pull the drapes shut, but she didn't. Instead she opened the window.

"Klaus," She said. He hated the cautious edge in her voice as though she was afraid of him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, he'd never wanted that from her, but fear was what he knew best. He knew how to rule people with fear, but not love.

She looked at him expectantly, but when he didn't speak readily, she took a seat on the edge of the desk by the window.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to make sure you were okay… after." He didn't mention the fact that he'd hurt her. They were both well aware of what had happened.

"I'm fine." She said, her eyes flicked over his face as though she was attempting to read his mind. He thought it should be easy for her considering that she was all he could think about since she came to town. He was so used to planning and scheming but he couldn't think straight with her here. All he knew was that he had to keep her safe. She glanced at the chair he was sitting in. "I can't invite you in… Wouldn't even if I could."

Klaus smirked, her sharply barbed words felt good, natural like how things had been between them in the beginning. He wished he could go back to the beginning. If he could he would have made sure that things played out differently. He never would have let his fears control him. He never would have pushed her away when she was the one thing he had truly loved besides his siblings in his long, lonely life.

"Fair enough," He said with a shrug, before looking at her, his gaze wandering down to her stomach. "How are you feeling, love?"

"Fine." She said, shortly, "But don't call me love."

"Can't be helped." He met her gaze, "It's what you are, love."

He noticed her eyes widened. It was the first time he'd directly admitted that he was still in love with her, but he was fairly certain she already knew or at least suspected that his feelings for her had never altered or lessened from what they had been six months ago, regardless of what he may have said to the contrary. He had told her he loved her and those where not words he uttered lightly.

She shook her head, "You can't say that to me… you don't get to say something like that to me."

Klaus stood up and leaned against the frame of the window. He closed his eyes and breathed deep the scent of her, with his hybrid senses it was better than any perfume to him. He ached to reach out and touch her, but he physically couldn't and he knew she wouldn't let him even if he could. He opened his eyes and looked her over slowly.

"Let me in," He whispered, low and desperate. He knew she couldn't grant him entrance into the house, but they both knew that wasn't what he was asking for. She straightened up and took a step away from the window. Her expression made him feel as though he was bleeding from the inside. She looked small and broken and more hurt than any one person should ever have to be.

"I can't…" She whispered and she pulled the window shut.

* * *

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	39. Chapter 39

Caroline knocked on Hayley's door, needing to talk after her conversation with Klaus.

"Just a sec!" Hayley called, "I'm changing."

"You've seen me with the gross jelly on my stomach; I think I can handle seeing your underwear." Caroline called back, laughing. "Just let me in."

The door opened and Hayley stepped out, quickly closing the door behind her, her sweatpants were on inside out and her tank top was backwards. Her hair was a mess and she was flushed, Caroline looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Busy… or just getting busy?" Caroline asked, with a small smirk.

Hayley opened her mouth, probably to deny the accusation, but it was negated by the fact that the door opened before her, revealing Kol, smirking and shirtless. Hayley shot him a look of unadulterated loathing.

"Scram before I bite you," She warned.

"Promise?" Kol teased, but he sauntered off.

Caroline watched Hayley, her eyebrow raised, but Hayley didn't look at her immediately. She opened her bedroom door and left it wide for Caroline to follow her in. The state of the bed removed any last doubts.

"Well…" Caroline said, her OCD coming out as she smoothed out the covers. "This is an unexpected development."

Hayley ran her hand though her hair, "Yeah… well it just sort of happened."

"I'm the last person who should be judging you, but Kol? Really?" Caroline made a face. Elijah, she could have understood. Klaus, well given her current situation she could quite clearly understand. But Kol… He was weasely and untrustworthy.

"I have horrible taste in men," What the only explanation Hayley offered and it made Caroline laugh loudly.

"Another thing we have in common." Caroline said, taking a seat on the foot of Hayley's bed, she made a slightly face when she thought of the most recent activities it's been privy to, but then she put it from her head.

"So what brings you here, Care?" Hayley asked, apparently just as eager to be off the topic of her and Kol's little torrid rendezvous.

"I saw Klaus… He came to see me." Caroline confessed.

"So?" Hayley pressed.

"So what?" Caroline asked, pretending not to know what Hayley was getting at.

"Are you still in love with him?" Hayley asked.

Caroline frowned and let out a small sigh, "I don't want to be." It was the closest thing to the truth that she was ready to admit to.

* * *

Stefan walked Cami to her door after drinks. Cami stopped and leaned against the door, looking up at Stefan. Her head buzzed pleasantly but she wouldn't go so far as to say that she was drunk, but she was rather relaxed. She smiled softly up at him.

"I'd invite you in…" She teased, "But seeing as you're a vampire."

Stefan laughed, "Yes… you are probably making the wise choice."

Cami bit her lip, enjoying the way his eyes traveled over her. She didn't know what they were playing at, she was hung up on Klaus and has something confusing going on with Marcel, and Stefan was all tied up in knots over his best friend. They were obviously not ready for more than friendship, but she wanted more. She wanted to forget about the confusing things in her life in favor of something straightforward and wonderful.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked, deciding to forgo wisdom as she opened her door.

Stefan looked at her, looking a little surprised, but then he smiled at her and nodded, "I'd like that."

He followed her in and as she flipped on the lights, she realized that yesterday was laundry day and she hadn't gotten around to putting things up yet. She saw a bra on the arm of the couch and hurriedly placed herself between Stefan and the undergarment.

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked?

Stefan chuckled, "And what would that be?"

"Just close your eye for like five minutes." She requested.

Stefan gave her a bemused look, but he obeyed. Once Cami was sure that he wasn't looking, she tore around the living room, throwing her clothes into the laundry basket, she glanced at Stefan who was waiting patiently.

"Just another minute!" She said as she snagged the bra from the couch. She stuffed the basket in her closet before coming back to Stefan. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Stefan didn't bother looking around the hurriedly tidied apartment. He just leaned in and kissed her passionately. Cami was startled, but she melted into his kiss.

* * *

Kol was sitting in the kitchen eating cereal out of boredom more than anything else. Hayley stormed in and when he looked up he could see that she was quite pissed off, which made him smirk.

"Well hello, darling."

Hayley rolled her eyes, glaring at him, "Don't 'hello, darling' me. You're such an ass."

Kol chuckled as he took another bite of cereal, "I've still been called worse, lover."

Hayley gave him a scathing look, which was rather amusing considering recently she'd been unable to keep her hands off of him. "We're not lovers."

"Actually… We're the precise definition of lovers." Kol pointed out. She was absolutely lovely, quick-tempered, and difficult to charm, and he found the combination rather intoxicating.

"That's never happening again." Hayley snapped.

Kol got up and looked at her, his eyes trailing over her exquisite figure, "Is that so?"

"Never." She said in a low growl, obviously sore about the whole 'outing her for their torrid affair in front of Caroline' thing.

He smirked and took a step toward her. Her eyes darted to his lips unconsciously, despite her efforts to hide her attraction to him. He took it as encouragement and moved closer, resting his hand on her slim waist.

"I don't believe you." He murmured seductively in her ear.

* * *

Klaus heard Elijah approaching before he acknowledges him. He had Marcel's men out searching for any whispers of Esther's location of plans. They'd found nothing yet, but he knew they'd keep looking as long as they had to. They were all afraid of him, and rightfully so. There had been a power struggle between Marcel and Klaus when Klaus first returned to the Quarter, but they'd negotiated a tenuous peace and the vamps took Klaus's orders as law just as much as they would Marcel's.

Klaus looked back at his brother and jerked his head in a reluctant greeting.

"You went to see Caroline." Elijah said without the pretense of a greeting.

Klaus frowned and looked at his brother. He didn't bother trying to deny it. Either Caroline had told him or he had overheard their conversation.

"She is pregnant with my children." Klaus pointed out, returning to his task of cleaning his paintbrushes.

"Yes, Niklaus." Elijah said sharply, "She is pregnant. She is in a delicate state and the last thing she needs is to be further upset."

Klaus frowned, he didn't like the suggestion that he would do anything to harm Caroline, although he was well aware that prior history was working against him.

"She's pregnant, not an invalid." Klaus snapped. "Caroline is just as capable as she has ever been."

Elijah frowned, Klaus knew that he was just protecting someone he now saw as family, but he didn't like the suggestion that he was not good for her, even though Klaus knew it was true.

"What do you want, Niklaus?" Elijah asked. "She is human. Eventually she will grow old and die. Do your really wish to involve yourself when you know that it will inevitably bring you pain?"

Klaus glared at his brother, annoyed that he could so easily see to the heart of the problem. Klaus wanted Caroline and he was well aware that he would always want her, but he could only have her temporarily and he wasn't sure which was worse to have her and lose her or to never have her at all.

"We both know that with time you could attain her forgiveness," Elijah pressed on. "But unless you intend to deserve it, to change, she is better off without you. She is learning how to be human again, how to be content, don't strip her of the progress she's made if you know that you will eventually let her down again."

"You think I will fail her." Klaus said bitterly.

"I didn't say that, brother." Elijah said, "I am quite certain that you could be the man she deserves, I've always believed that you could be that man. But no one can make you be something you don't want to be. So it's up to you, Niklaus. Are you content with this hollow, loveless existence or are you ready to open yourself up to something more, something meaningful."

Klaus looked at his brother, surprised by the compliment. They had their ups and downs through the centuries. No one could spend eternity with another person without having conflict, but despite it all, Elijah still believed in him and he didn't know why. He was well aware that he didn't deserve his brother's good opinion, but he was grateful he had it, because if Elijah believed that he could be something more than the monster he had been, then perhaps he could be.

* * *

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	40. Chapter 40

"I love you," Caroline murmured against his skin. Klaus shuddered at the feeling of her warm lips against his bare skin.

"I have only ever loved you, Caroline." Klaus confessed, catching her jaw gently in his hand and slowly guiding her up to him so that their lips could meet.

In a thousand years, he had never truly loved. There had been Tatia, but he hadn't loved her, not truly. It had been more about beating his brother than being loved by the Original Doppelgänger.

She pulled away slightly, her wide eyes gazing into his with the tender adorations he'd never truly received from another soul. He felt as though he had been waiting his whole existence to find her and only could see it now in hindsight.

Slowly, she leaned in to kiss him once more… and then he woke up.

Klaus let out a low growl as he woke alone in his cold bed. Caroline had never been in this bed, in this room, but even still he could almost imagine that he smelled her familiar scent on the pillows, soft and sweet, just like her.

He closed his eyes imagining the lines of her body. She was perfection in his eyes. Each imperfection made her more incandescently beautiful in his. She'd become his muse that night on her eighteenth birthday. She had shown such a spark and he's been chasing that spark like a dancing firefly ever since.

Perhaps the spark would extinguish, but he would protect it, feed it, and keep it with him for as long as he could.

He loved her more than he had ever thought possible to love another person and he would find a way to make her love him again.

He got up and dressed. He'd intended to go see Cami, but the bar was closed and he knew going to her place this late would only lead to additional reasons for Caroline to be angry with him, so instead he wandered the Quarter. New Orleans was never quiet, but there was an odd calm that hushed over the city in the hours just before morning.

He turned down a dark alley and stopped short when he spotted a familiar figure wandering down the street.

"Caroline?" Klaus called out to her, but she didn't acknowledge him. He frowned, bothered by the situation, so he sped down the alley and followed her down the street.

"Caroline?" He tried again, but still received no response. He grabbed her arm to stop her, but she attempted to continue walking. He stepped in front of her to head her off. "Caroline, what are you doing out here?"

He recoiled when he saw her eyes which were completely which.

"Oh love…" He murmured, realizing she was under Esther's spell. The first direct attack, and it made his insides burn with fury as Kol's warnings proved true. Esther was after the cure and she would do whatever she saw as necessary to reach her end goal, even if that included killing the woman her son loved and his unborn children. He knew that he wouldn't be able to rouse her, so he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back toward the witch, Josephine's, house.

* * *

Hayley got out of bed when she heard someone knocking. She opened her door and found Kol in her doorway.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She hissed under her breath, looking around to make sure no one was around to see him. Unfortunately in a house full of people with super hearing there wasn't much chance that someone didn't already know he had come to her room.

Kol held a finger to his lips to silence her, giving her a look that clearly said 'you're the one who doesn't want anyone to know.'

Hayley rolled her eyes with more exaggeration than was entirely necessary.

"It's not going to happen again." She snapped.

"You mean, after this time?" Kol smirked, stepping closer to her.

Hayley pressed her hand against his chest to hold him back, "Don't…"

Kol rested his hand over hers and rubbed his thumb lightly across her skin in a way that sent thrills through her.

"I detest you," Hayley said vehemently, but she knew the sting of her words was negated by the fact that she moved closer to him.

He leaned in and kissed her and she let him. He guided her back into her bedroom. He closed the door behind him as he kissed at her neck. She made a soft noise, tilting her head slightly to grant him better access.

"Told you so." He teased as he pulled off her shirt.

She frowned because she didn't like that she was giving into him again, especially considering she'd repeatedly said she wouldn't. She let out a low growl. She couldn't deny that the feeling of him touching her drove her crazy, but the moment he opened his stupid mouth he made her want to smack his stupid face.

"Just shut up," She warned.

She felt him smirk as she kissed him and she found it aggravating, but not enough to make her stop.

She was just pulling off his shirt when a pounding on the front door caught her super hearing and she pulled away abruptly.

"I should get that," She said as she retrieved her shirt and pulled it on, grateful for the interruption that rescued her from her own lack of self-control, and hating that all she wanted to do was go back and continue as she raced down the stairs.

She heard the trio of heart beats that signified Caroline's presence as she approached the door and she frowned. She'd thought that Caroline was asleep in her room and at the very least not outside the house. She yanked the door open, ready to berate Caroline for been so incredibly foolish, but when she opened the door, she found Klaus on the other side, with Caroline cradled gently in his arms.

"I had to knock her out," Klaus explained quickly as he saw the expression on Hayley's face. "She's under a spell and it was the only way I could get her back here safely. Otherwise she would have injured herself."

Hayley nodded and took a step toward him. "Give her to me."

Klaus shook his head, "Tell the witch to invite me in."

Hayley looked at him like he was nuts, which he kind of was. "She's not going to do that, Klaus, and Caroline needs help now."

Klaus's jaw set in a look of resolution that made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of backing down. Hayley felt herself instinctively sympathizing with her sire. Of course he wanted it. He wanted to be able to stay beside his love and know when she was safe, not having to wait for someone to remember to tell him that she was okay.

"Get the witch." Klaus insisted.

* * *

Stefan was walking back to Josephine's house from spending the evening with Cami. He was taking his time, enjoying the atmosphere of New Orleans. He hadn't been back since just before he left for war. He had been newly sober at the time and Lexi had been helping him regain control again. He felt a thrill of sadness as he thought about his best friend. He would never forget her, or everything she'd done to help him over the centuries. Sure there had been long gaps of time when they didn't see each other, but he'd always felt that they would eventually see each other again, but now she was gone. She was gone and she wasn't coming back, and he missed her terribly. He wondered if that was part of what had drawn him to a friendship with Caroline at first. He'd seen the superficial similarities the fact that they both had a way of making him laugh and smile even in his darkest moments.

It was hard not to love someone who could do that for you, but as much as he loved Caroline, he knew he had to find a way to fall out of love with her. And Cami was wonderful. She was smart and beautiful. She was tragically wounded, just like him, and he wondered if maybe that was something that made them kind of perfect together. Maybe they could help each other stop wanting the wrong people.

He turned down Josephine's street and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that the house was all lit up. He ran down the street and straight into the house at superhuman speeds. He found the source of the disturbance immediately.

Everyone was gathered around the sofa while Bonnie and Josephine linked hands, chanting over an unconscious Caroline feverishly. Stefan rushed to the sofa, but stopped short as his gaze landed on Klaus.

"What's he doing inside?" Stefan asked.

Klaus gave him his characteristic smirk, if he had any genuine feelings of the current situation, he wasn't showing them.

"Can you think of anyone who has more right to be here?" Klaus asked pointedly, making it perfectly clear that he was aware, at least in part, of Stefan's feelings for Caroline.

"What happened?" Stefan demanded, not addressing the question because he didn't want to admit that Klaus was right. He was forever tied to Caroline and Stefan… wasn't.

"She is under a spell." Elijah supplied, when it was clear that Klaus had no intention of offering answers. "Presumable one of our mother's doing."

Stefan crouched down and rested his hand on Caroline's shoulder, even though he could feel Klaus's jealous gaze watching him and he knew the Original was seething.

"What kind of spell?" He asked.

"Mind control." Kol explained. "Mother was trying to make Caroline come to her. Lucky Nick here stumbled on our girl here before Mommy Dearest got her hands on her."

Stefan nodded to Josephine and Bonnie, "So they're trying to break the spell?"

"No," Klaus said, "They're trying to piggyback it and use the spell to lead us straight to Esther."

"Not trying." Bonnie said, suddenly stopping chanting and wiping a trail of blood from her nose. "Succeeding. I know where Esther is."

* * *

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	41. Chapter 41

Caroline woke with a splitting headache. She found herself on the couch in Josephine's sitting room. The first light of morning was hazing through the windows, making the dim room glow. Looking around she saw Stefan asleep in a chair. Bonnie slept with her on the couch, with Caroline's legs in her lap. Hayley and Kol sat at the piano, speaking in soft whispers that Caroline could have made out when she still had her supernatural hearing, but as it was, she could barely make out the low tones of their whispers. She watched them for a long time, the way they both were leaning toward each other, but not touching. Just talking.

There was something far more intimate about the way they were talking than all of their barbs banter and rendezvous combined. They whispered like confidants, lovers. The way two people talked when the words that passed between them weren't meant to belong to anyone else in the world.

Caroline doubted whether Hayley even knew it yet, but she could tell. The Hybrid and the Original were falling for each other. It wasn't just a fling. It wasn't just lust and taunting. They could pretend that there wasn't anything real between them, and probably would for a long time, but Caroline could see it.

Hayley stiffened slightly and looked over, catching Caroline's gaze.

"Caroline, you're awake." She rushed and took Caroline's hand.

"I'm awake," Caroline agreed as she sat up slowly, willing her head to calm down, "Though I'm sort of wishing I wasn't."

"The headache will subside." Kol assured her. "They had to root around in your head quite bit to get Esther out. No permanent damage, though. Just painful."

Caroline held her aching head, "Esther? What happened? I don't remember."

"Esther hijacked you, using magic to make you come to her." Kol said.

"Luckily, Klaus found you and brought you back here for Bonnie and Josephine to break the connection." Hayley said. "And they were able to trace it back to Esther. Klaus and Elijah went to track her down."

Her heart stuttered instinctively at Klaus's name. She shook her head slightly, wishing that he didn't still have so much power over her feelings.

"So they are going to end this?" Caroline asked, hopefully, so ready to go home, far from Klaus and the feelings she couldn't keep buried.

"Well, that's the hope," Kol said, "But as we all know… Esther is rather hard to keep dead."

* * *

Elijah and Klaus stood at the gates of the cemetery, home to the remains of countless New Orleans witches. Elijah frowned. He knew that most witches in the city drew their power from their ancestors. It was a wise place for a witch to hide with access to so much magic. He looked at his brother, debating speaking, but he refrained when Klaus pressed his finger to his lips to silence him and stepped over the threshold and into the passageway of tombs.

Elijah took a deep breath and followed his brother. A cold chill ran down his spine. After a thousand years, he had a sense for when he was in the presence of strong magic. He was sure his brother felt it as well. She was here. He took a deep breath. He had loved his mother dearly as a boy and young man, but that time was long dead. The tender mother and adoring son had been twisted beyond recognition. She was Ahab to his Moby Dick. He and his siblings were albatrosses. Monstrosities in her eyes, something to be stopped… destroyed.

They made their way through the cemetery, eyes carefully scanning for sign of an ambush. It was quiet. Too quiet, Elijah realized. There must be a spell to suppress sound and take away of their advantage. He felt a sinking feeling, feeling suddenly quite certain that Esther was here and aware of their approach. He looked over at his brother.

"Niklaus…" He started.

"I know." Klaus replied in a low, half growling tone.

They rounded a corner and Elijah was surprised by the loud, sharp crack of breaking bone. He looked over just in time to see his brother crumple to the ground with a broken neck. He looked around, frowning, expecting to be taken down next, for everything to suddenly turn dark, but it didn't happen. Instead his mother walked into view and met his gaze evenly.

"Hello Elijah."

* * *

Bonnie walked into the courtyard of Klaus's home. She'd been given directions, but she was still nervous walking into the unfamiliar place alone. She knew she was perfectly capable of protecting herself and she knew it was more important to keep Caroline protected, but she still didn't want to walk into the den of the Original Hybrid.

"Hello?" She called out, knowing that any vampire in the area would hear her.

No one answered right away and she turned in a slow circle, taking in the grand house. It was daunting, just the sort of place she'd expect Klaus to live and the thought made her frown.

She really did loathe vampires, and Klaus was worse than most. If it wouldn't wind up killing her friends, she'd spend her time looking for a way to put him down permanently. She didn't care that he was the father of Caroline's babies, if anything that made it more crucial to get him out of the picture for good. He'd already gotten his hooks into Care, and she wasn't sure if her friend would ever get over the games he'd played with her head completely. Honestly, Bonnie thought Esther had the right idea trying to cure all vampires. It was actually a more merciful solution than most of them deserve. But not if the cost was Caroline's life. As much as Bonnie liked the idea of ending all vampires, harming one of her oldest friends was not a sacrifice she was willing to make to achieve that end.

She finished her slow circle and gave a startled yelp when she found herself face to face with man with a cap pulled low, shadowing his eyes.

"We've got company." The man called over his shoulder.

"Don't be so rude, Theirry." A slim man with dark features and a killer smile stepped into view. "Invite her in."

* * *

A knock came from the front door and Stefan opened it to find Cami standing with a crockpot.

"I know the whole casserole thing is pretty clique, but I figured those of you who actually need to eat could stand to have a warm meal." Cami explained.

Stefan stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him, looking her over with a small frown.

"Cami, you can't be here." He whispered. "It isn't safe for you."

"Safe went out the window when I decided to come back to New Orleans to find out what happened to my brother." Cami said, a little sharply.

Stefan frowned, they'd touched briefly on her brother, only enough that he knew she'd lost him to a hex.

"I just… I don't want you to get hurt on account of me, Camille." Stefan said, reaching out and taking the crockpot so she didn't have to stand there holding it while they talked.

"I appreciate that, Stefan, but isn't it my risk to take?" Cami asked, reaching out and resting her hand on his as she looked up into his dark eyes, her own light and still so naïve.

* * *

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	42. Chapter 42

"Mother…" Elijah breathed. Twice now his mother had died and twice now she returned when he thought he would never see her again. Despite the years and betrayals, the sight of her cut him deeply. He always had and always would love her, even if she was determined to kill her own children.

Try though he had, he could not hate her for her point of view. She saw them as the monsters of her own creation. She considered all their abominable actions, all the blood on her hands. He could relate. Had he not killed the woman he had loved for five centuries simply because he could not bear to allow her to continue to harm innocent victims for the sake of self-preservation or revenge.

"You look well, son." Esther said, a pleasant smile gracing her face. Her expression was kind and serene, but Elijah knew well the cunning mind hidden behind her calculating eyes.

"No thanks to you." He replied, stiffly.

"Oh, Elijah," Esther said taking a step toward him. "You know that my intention was never to cause you pain."

Elijah recoiled from her approach, "You attempted to kill my siblings and me."

"I attempted to give you peace." She frowned slightly. "I learned my lesson on the other side, Elijah. No one should live forever. It's unnatural. I made you and your siblings into this, it's my fault. I simply wish to fix my mistakes."

"By killing Caroline?" Elijah snapped, because he was well aware of her plan to rid the world of vampires at the price of Caroline Forbes' life.

"The girl's fate is pitiable, but what is one life next to the countless lives that will be healed, and the many more victims that will be spared an early death or cursed existence?" Esther indicated the graves all around them. "What's one girl in the grand scheme of things?"

Elijah bristled, "Not one life, mother. Three. She is with child. Twins. Niklaus is the father."

Esther paled, "Niklaus? It's not possible."

"Like anything in our lives is possible." Elijah said coolly. "All that matters is that she is, in fact, pregnant."

"All the more reason why her life must end, Elijah. Surely you must see, these infants were never meant to be born. They are unnatural."

"They are children, mother." Elijah snapped, feeling a flush rise to his face. Not only did he care for the unborn children but he also had come to love Caroline as a second sister. "They are innocent."

"No one is ever innocent, Elijah. You should know better than most that the sins of the father come down upon his children."

"We will stop you, mother."

"Perhaps you could…" Esther said. "But I think perhaps you may reconsider the side on which you stand."

"What do you mean?" Elijah demanded, he glanced at Klaus who was still unconscious, wishing he would wake so they could leave this place.

Esther looked over her shoulder, "You can come out, my dear."

Elijah's brow furrowed in confusion, but his expression changed to shock as the figure stepped into view.

"Katerina." He whispered.

"Hello Elijah." Katherine Pierce said, evenly, whatever thoughts of rage or revenge were hidden beneath her perfected calm demeanor. The only thing that betrayed the emotions she was experiencing was the fact that she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Elijah looked at his mother, "What have you done?"

"I told you, Elijah, I want nothing but peace for my children. I brought her back for you. You can be together, spend your life together. A human life. All you have to do is give me Caroline."

"Or I could kill you." Elijah suggested, as calmly as if he'd suggested they all go out for a nice dinner.

"You could…" Esther nodded.

"But if she dies, I die with her." Katherine said, looking up to look him in the eye, her own making it clear that she did not want to die again.

And Elijah knew that he could not let her… no matter the cost.

* * *

"So what brings you here, little witch?" Marcel asked as he poured himself a drink. He raised the bottle and gave the dark featured beauty a questioning look to offer her a drink. She shook her head slightly to refuse. She hadn't said that she was a witch, but it was rather obvious. She wasn't a vampire or a werewolf, Marcel would have been able to tell, but she had an authoritative look that came with the confidence of having the power to take care of yourself, that along with the judgy little frown that clung to the corners of her mouth that was a dead giveaway for witches.

"Bonnie," She said stiffly. "My name is Bonnie."

"Well, Bonnie. You must not be from these parts, because the witches in New Orleans know better than to bother the King of the Quarter."

"King?" She looked at him, skeptically. "And that would be you?"

Marcel laughed at her expression, "That would be me."

"That's a rather grandiose self-proclaimed title, don't you think?" The little witch said, her expression making it quite clear that she didn't find him the least bit impressive.

"Maybe so…" Marcel smirked. "But I built this city. I run this city. Give me a title that fits better?"

"Pompous?" Bonnie suggested.

Marcel laughed, "You know, I've killed people for less."

"Well, since you're Klaus Mikaelson's lap dog, I think you should probably hold off on the killing me." It was clear that she had no doubt that she could protect herself from him in the need arose. "Since I'm here at his request."

Marcel frowned when she called him a lap dog, but he didn't remark. "And what would that request be?"

"He says he needs the girl… said you would know what he meant." Bonnie said, obviously annoyed that she'd been assigned to relying messages.

* * *

Klaus came to back at his house in town, with Elijah sitting in a chair nearby, frowning deeply. He sat up an groaned because his neck ached terribly. A tell-tell sign that it had recently been broken.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Our mother snapped your neck." Elijah said placidly.

"But not yours." Klaus observed, suspiciously.

"No," Elijah confirmed, "Not mine."

"Why not?" Klaus knew his mother. He knew she never did anything without a good reason, so if she'd spared Elijah it was because she had something she wanted to tell him that she didn't want Klaus to hear. Perhaps he was paranoid, but it had kept him alive this long and he wasn't about to take a risk where His Caroline and his children were concerned.

"She attempted to make me see things from her point of view." Elijah said.

"And did it work?"

Elijah gave him a look, "No, Niklaus, she didn't not present a case that would make me condone the slaughter of an innocent girl and her children."

Klaus frowned a little. He had an uneasy feeling surrounding his brother's words, but he hadn't quite decided why.

"Always and forever?" Klaus asked, he saw a flicker of something he couldn't quite find a name for cross Elijah's face.

"Of course." Elijah said, but he didn't say it back and for some reason, that said a great deal.

* * *

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	43. Chapter 43

"I'm not going to do it, Klaus." Marcel said, somewhat heatedly. "I'm not going to put Dee in your mother's line of fire."

Klaus had been quite cross with Marcel when he learned that he'd refuse to send Davina to Josephine with Bonnie. Klaus looked at Marcel with undiluted rage, his eyes glowing momentarily gold.

"We need her." He said.

"Yeah, yeah, to keep _Caroline_ safe." Marcel said, flippantly. "I get it, Klaus, I really do. This girl's got you all twisted up. But I'm not about to put Dee in danger just so you can impress the girl."

"I'm not trying to impress her, I'm trying to save her." Klaus spat.

"Yeah, well if she needs saving then getting involved is dangerous. I'm not asking that of Davina. She's just a kid, friend."

"And Caroline's pregnant. With twins." Klaus reminded him.

"I know," Marcel frowned, because this was a no win situation. Either way he would have a hand in kids getting hurt, the one thing he'd always tried his damnedest not to do.

"No, you don't know." Klaus said, vehemently. "Marcellus… The twins are mine."

* * *

Caroline felt pretty ridiculous with the entourage that accompanied her to meet with the powerful witch who was supposed to help Bonnie block Esther from taking over Caroline's mind again. Apparently Marcel had refused to send his witch to Josephine, but agree to permit them to come to him and the witch. Of course Stefan and Elijah came to keep her safe and Bonnie and Josephine were needed for the spell. Then Hayley came out of loyalty and Kol came because of Hayley. They all followed close behind Caroline as she walked into the courtyard.

She felt Klaus's eyes on her almost immediately, even though she didn't see him right away. She looked up and her gaze met his as he watched her from the balcony. His face was set in a hard frown, but his eyes were soft, a softness that she knew was reserved for her. She pursed her lips and with some effort she tore her gaze from his. She saw Marcel and with him a girl, judging by the conversation passing between her and Bonnie, she was the witch, but she was obviously quite young.

Caroline felt a sudden, maternal feeling toward the girl, and could totally understand why the vampire Marcel wanted to keep her out of this. She was too young. She was barely more than a kid and she shouldn't be pulled into this mess. Caroline shouldn't have been pulled into this mess either, but she didn't have a choice. She'd stopped being a kid a year and a half ago when Katherine Pierce killed her to make her a useful little messenger.

She felt a small twinge of sadness as she had to move closer to the witches to hear the conversation passing between them. The super hearing was one of the many perks of being a vampire that she missed.

"And you think that will work?" Bonnie asked the young girl, but she looked at Josephine for confirmation, differing to the aged witch for wisdom.

Josephine nodded, "I do believe that will work." She looked up at Klaus who without Caroline noticing had come down from the upper level to join them. "The magic used to create the Original's is very powerful. If makes you impervious to most spells, likely mind control would be one of those it protects against."

"So she must be mentally linked to one of us?" Elijah surmised, gesturing to himself, Kol, and Klaus.

"Yes." Josephine confirmed.

"What would be the side effects of something like that?" Caroline asked. She didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she didn't really want to get a good look at the inside of Kol Mikaelson's head.

"There will be a degree of separation." Josephine said. "For the most part your thoughts will be private unless you choose to share them, but things definitely leak across the barrier. Strong emotions and powerful thoughts, perhaps dreams, may slip through without you choosing to share them with each other."

Caroline frowned, because she really didn't like the sound of that. She wanted her thoughts and feelings to remain her own. Even Elijah, who she trusted to respect her privacy as much as possible, would be an intruder, seeing things not meant for anyone else to see.

"I'll do it."

Caroline felt a surged of dread and relief as she looked up and her eyes met Klaus's. She was relieved because she knew her thoughts were safe with him, but she was afraid, because she had no doubt that the emotions she'd tried so hard to keep in check would no doubt slip through the cracks. She frowned a little, but gave a small nod.

A pleased smirk crossed Klaus's face.

* * *

Katherine lounged on the threadbare couch. As a woman used to compelling herself the finer things in life, Esther's accommodations left much to be desired. The loft looked more like a dilapidated greenhouse than like a residence fit for habitation. Not that Esther seemed to notice or care.

The mother of the Originals spent all of her time with her nose buried in her musty grimoires. Plotting and planning, or whatever it was that she was doing.

Katherine found the whole thing rather tedious, but since her alternative was to remain stuck on the Other Side, she was willing to endure it.

She thought of the Other Side. She was used to being on her own, but the Other Side brought with it a different kind of loneliness.

She'd lived with the loneliness of being on her own, on the run. For five hundred years she'd been on the run, never truly letting herself get attached to another person after Elijah.

The Other Side had been different. There was no reason to run anymore. She was just alone. Alone with herself and her regrets and it was a surprisingly painful experience. Elijah, the only man she had ever really loved, had ripped her heart out. And why?

To save Caroline Forbes.

At first she had been enraged, but it was difficult to maintain a white hot resentment in total isolation. Then her anger dissolved into feelings of betrayal. Eventually even that dissipated, leaving her feeling sort of empty and hollowed out, and the emptiness left space for something else to crawl in. Much to her surprise, she found herself filled with an acceptance. She knew Elijah. He was a good and honorable man, it what was why she loved him. It was also how her actions had left him no choice but to kill her.

Caroline had been comparatively innocent. She hadn't deserved to pay the price for Klaus's actions, and Elijah who had spent his entire life rectifying his brother's wrongs could not stand by and allow the injustice, no matter what it cost him. She hated what he had done… but no matter how hard she tried, she could not make herself hate him.

* * *

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	44. Chapter 44

"You need to join hands," The girl named Davina instructed.

Caroline licked her lip nervously before reaching out, slipping her hands into Klaus's waiting grasp. She could feel him smirking, even though she wasn't looking at him. It seemed like no matter what happened Klaus had a knack for ending up on top. He's screwed her over and broken her heart. He'd abandoned her and now six and a half months later, her life was back in his control. She was at his mercy.

And the knowledge riled her intensely.

She knew his hands were probably the safest to hold her fate, she was well aware that he still loved her and that no matter what he had said that had never changed, but that didn't change the fact that she hated needing him. She'd fallen for him completely and he'd been able to just walk away. When the threat of his mother was past, what was to stop him from running away again?

No…

She couldn't let herself need him. Maybe she couldn't stop herself from loving him. But she wouldn't need him again. He might still have a hold on her heart, but she wasn't about to pull it out of her own chest to hand it to him. Not this time. Not when it was all too possible that if she did he'd leave her to bleed.

Davina, Bonnie, and Josephine stood around them in a circle, taking hands and chanting. Caroline's heart raced at the thought of what was coming. In a few moments they'd be linked. She was still afraid of giving him such open access to her emotions when he was already so good at making her think and feel things she didn't want to.

She jumped a little when Klaus's thumb brushed over her knuckles in a reassuring way. She frowned a little when she realized it was because he could hear the way her heart was pounding. It was especially hard to play it cool when the person you were trying hard not to love could hear the way your heart responded to their presence.

She felt the rush of magic pulse through her and for a moment she couldn't tell where Klaus began and she ended. She gasp, swaying forward, but he instantly wrapped his arms around her to make sure that she wouldn't fall. Her mind was flooded with images, memories. Seeing through Klaus's eyes childhood, suffering at the hands of Mikael. Turning into a vampire and triggering his werewolf side, earning the utter loathing of Mikael for Esther's betrayal. The agony of having the curse placed to subdue his wolf side for a thousand years. The loneliness. The boiling angry he could never quite subdue. And then she saw him break the curse and for the first time in a thousand years he could breathe easy, he wasn't a prisoner in his own body.

And then she saw herself.

She saw him take her gently into his arms to heal her werewolf bit. He could have just spilt some of his blood into a cup and handed it to her, but instead he held her close and let her feed from him. She felt that he had found her beautiful and interesting and desperately wanted to touch her and that impulse was what led him to treat her gently when he could have been done with it brusquely in a matter of seconds. Instead he made it a tender moment, lingering with his arms around her, far longer than he needed to.

Then she felt the rush of passion he'd felt when he'd seen her sweep into his home with the dress he'd picked out for her, looking like a work of art. Every memory of her stood out white hot surrounded by a millennium of memories that blurred together, the details lost to time.

Then she felt the dread that washed over him when he realized she couldn't be a vampire again. A thousand lonely years and for one bright moment he'd let himself believe that loneliness was over. Now the one person he'd ever been in love with would slip away from him in a handful of years. Afraid and angry at the fates, he did the only thing he could. He pushed her away to keep her safe and to save himself from the unbearable pain of losing her after a single lifetime.

The link faded so it just sort of throbbed gently in the back of her mind. The memories dissipated, leaving only a warm feeling of… love? Caroline frowned, but she couldn't quite bring herself to pull her hands away from Klaus.

* * *

Elijah paced up and down and alley near Bourbon Street. He was clearly agitated, trying to deal with an abundance of emotions, chief among which was guilt. Guilt for ripping out the heart of the woman he had loved unwaveringly, hopelessly for five hundred years. Guilt for the dishonorable and treacherous thoughts that plagued him now that he knew he could have her back, have everything he thought had been lost to him forever, if he betrayed his brother… and Caroline.

Perhaps it he was simply looking at a betrayal to his brother, he could see his actions as justified. But Caroline… aye… there was the rub. The history of the Mikaelson family did feel rather Shakespearian or Greek in nature with betrayals, patricide, murder and madness. But Caroline Forbes was guiltless in the whole tangled mess, as guiltless as Katerina Petrova has once been before they lured her into their world and ruined her with their cruelty and manipulations. He desired nothing more than to save Katherine from him mother, but in so doing he would have to forfeit Caroline's innocents.

The dark spot on the soul of every Mikaelson and even Katerina Petrova had not yet tarnished Caroline. And the twins… They were the hope of the family, they were the opportunity for redemption for Niklaus that Elijah had so long thought beyond reach. Could he sacrifice Niklaus's last chance for the sake of a love so torn and battle scared that Elijah could no longer remember the pure and unscathed love that had once existed between the innocent girl he'd met in England and himself.

"Elijah?"

So lost in his dark thoughts, he had not heard the approach. He knew the voice before he turned to see the face that had both haunted and given him joy for a thousand years.

"Katerina." He murmured as his eyes locked on her warm brown eyes, warm only for him.

"Hello Elijah," She said softly.

Elijah took a step toward him before restraining himself.

"What message has my mother sent you to convey?" He asked calmly.

"She didn't send me… I came to see you." Katherine whispered.

Elijah's heart lurched at her words, but he maintained his aloof expression, "And why is that?"

"Because I love you… And I always will."

* * *

Haley lay on the heat burned grass staring up at the dusky night sky, lightened to a deep, hazy gray by the lights of the city. She couldn't see the rising moon yet, but she knew it was the night of the full moon, she could feel it in her bones. She enjoyed the relief from having to transition, but there was a part of her that missed it. A part of her missed just being a wolf, ruled by instinct and passion, her mind entirely her own. She didn't feel a need to break the sirebond, because it had softened her feelings toward Klaus to genuine liking and it wasn't like he'd ever asked her to do anything she didn't want to do, wasn't going to do anyway.

She knew she could still turn into a wolf, but it was difficult to knowingly and willingly choose to endure that kind of pain. She let out a forlorn sigh.

"If you missed me that much, all you had to do was come find me, darling." Kol said, from somewhere out of her line of sight. She could practically fee the arrogant smirk twisting his handsome face.

"I miss you like I'd miss a canker sore," She snapped.

He came and sank down on the slightly crispy grass beside her. She heard every individual blade crunch and crackle as he crushed them. He didn't say anything right away, he just lay beside her, his arm almost touching hers.

"I liked being a witch." He said, his usual mocking tenor, absent. "It was the hardest part about becoming a vampire. It was like a part of me was gone… They call it a phantom limb when an amputee can still feel their missing limb even years after they've lost it… That's how it feels. I feel the hole magic left… I've spent my life looking for ways to fill it."

"Anything work?" Hayley asked, feeling an ache of familiarity at the way in which he described the lost. She felt that for her loss of humanity. She turned her head to look at him and meet his gaze, his dark, intense eyes that sent a thrill through her.

"Only one thing." He said, looking away and up at the sky.

She watched him for a long moment, "And what's that?"

He didn't look at her, "You."

It sounded like a line, but the blunt, honest delivery told her that it wasn't. She turned her head to look up at the dark sky. She didn't know what to say, so instead she slipped her hand into his and felt her stomach flip when he interlaced his fingers with hers.

* * *

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	45. Chapter 45

Caroline held it together through the spell, but the moment focus shifted from her, she slipped away and up to her room. Seeing… feeling… The things that went through Klaus's head had moved her deeply, but they had also caused a painful ache. She sat on her bed and hugged her pillow to her chest, willing away the powerful urge to cry. She knew if she did, the others would hear her, and she didn't want that. The tears spilled down her cheeks against her will, but she kept perfect quiet, not letting the painful sob building in her throat escape.

"Caroline?"

She stiffened and looked up, her teary eyes meeting Klaus's. She didn't try to wipe the tears away, there was no point, Caroline knew perfectly well that he'd already seen them. She didn't say anything, not trusting her own voice. He didn't do anything right away, he just watched her for a long moment.

He loved her and he always had, since before he'd even admitted. She crashed into him and broke down every barrier that had taught him to beware of truly caring for anyone outside his family. She knew without a doubt that he would never stop loving her, not really, but that didn't change the fact that he'd also hurt her… deeply… irreparably. And the worst part was that she knew he'd been right to do it. She was human now. She would grow old and realistically how long would they be able to last as she grew old and decrepit and he stayed forever the same. And then there was the fact that he would always have enemies and if they knew he had a weakness that weakness would be used against him, meaning she and the twins would forever be used as bargaining chips in the violent game of chess that was his life.

She could see from his expression that he was struggling with something, but she didn't know what. Then he crossed the room and took her face in his hands pulling her up to her feet and into a deep, passionate kiss that set her every nerve on fire.

She made a soft noise as he kissed her, but she didn't protest, couldn't protest. His words and actions hadn't been forgiven, might never be forgiven, but he was touching her, loving her and for just this moment that was the only thing that mattered.

His thumbs brushed across her cheeks, wiping away the tracks of her tears. Slowly he pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

"Caroline." He whispered her name, the emotion in his words saying all the things he wasn't very good at expressing… love, remorse, and most of all a promise that he wasn't going anywhere this time.

She looked up into his eyes, her own questioning. She couldn't just ignore the things that had been done and said. She couldn't just pretend that his actions, however ineptly performed, were valid. She couldn't give him forever and her heart couldn't take loving him just for now.

* * *

Esther sensed her son's approach before he voiced his presence. Her hand halted over the bowl, the last traces of white oak ash falling from her fingertips into the bowl in a dusty haze.

"You have reached a decision?" She asked, without looking back at Elijah.

"What guarantee do I have that you will be true to your word?"

Esther turned around and watched her son as he adjusted his tie.

"I have never sought to harm my children."

"You attempted to kill us." Elijah gave her a cold, pointed look. "I believe your definition of harm may need revision."

Esther shook her head, giving him a pitying look, "I was trying to save you, Elijah, from the monster my actions have made you into." She reached out and took his face in her hands. "You were a good man once, aid me and you can be that man again."

Elijah didn't pull away, but his eyes were distant, "Perhaps, but at what cost?"

* * *

"Thank you," Bonnie said reluctantly to Marcel as he helped her clean up while Hayley took Davina back to the compound. "I know you didn't want her involved, so thank you."

Marcel glanced at her before picking up a couple of candles.

"Klaus commands and I obey." Marcel gave half a smirk that indicted he wasn't nearly the obedient stooge he was playing.

Bonnie looked him over, a cautious frown playing across her face, "Somehow I don't exactly buy that."

Marcel let out an unintended chuckle, "And what makes you think I care about what you buy?"

"I just…" Bonnie blushed, thrown by his response. "I don't know."

"Damn straight, you don't know." Marcel glanced past her at Davina who was obviously uneasy about the conversation she was having with Josephine. "You don't know the first thing about me or my city, so don't pretend otherwise."

"I wasn't trying to offend you," Bonnie snapped, annoyed that her thank you had taken this turn.

"No, but I gather you don't much care for me or mine." Marcel said, obviously not terribly bothered by what Bonnie did or did not like.

"You don't know the first thing about me, so don't pretend otherwise." Bonnie countered, throwing his words back in his face.

* * *

They stood in silence, looking at each other for a long time. If he were a better man, Klaus would walk away, he would leave her to the rest of her human life in relative safety. He would give her what she deserved. He would give her freedom and ensure the safety of her and his two miracle babies from a distance. If he was a better man he would let her go.

But he wasn't a better man… he wasn't even a good one.

"No." Klaus said abruptly. Caroline gave him a strange look, half startled and half confused.

"No what?" She asked.

Klaus crossed the small distance between them and took her face in his hand.

"Just no." He said before kissing her passionately.

He knew she would probably push him away as soon as she gathered her senses, but he intended to hold that moment off for as long as possible. He felt her melt into his arms, heard her heart quickened. She was still his, and he felt confident she always would be.

Slowly she began to pull away from him, "We should stop."

"No," Klaus replied, his tone more insistent. He picked her up carefully and carried her to the bed where he laid her down. Her eyes were wide as she looked up into his, but not fearful. She knew she had nothing to fear from him. She was the only being in existence capable of holding his heart. She did not need to fear him, he'd sooner plunge the white oak stake into his own chest than be the cause of any harm to her.

Caroline kissed him back again when he caught her lips, her pale hand caressing his stubbly cheek, but her hand slowly trailed down to his chest and gently she pushed him away, her eyes meeting his.

"I can't go through that again." She whispered, he knew she meant when he left her and the pain in her voice ripped at his heart. "If you're going to leave again, then you should just go."

"No," Klaus looked her in the eye, his expression making the full weight of his meaning perfectly clear.

Caroline looked surprise, which Klaus found amusing considering the fact that she not only carried his heart, but also his children. Slowly she nodded and leaned up to capture his lips with her. Klaus returned her kiss urgently, taking it as permission as he slowly unbuttoned her maternity blouse. As he uncovered her swollen stomach he pulled away from the kiss and looked at her belly. He moved down and caressed her stomach, before brushing his lips against her skin tenderly. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against her stomach.

"All that I have… All that I'll ever be… Is yours." He murmured against her skin. He felt a kick and it almost brought tears to his eyes. His whole life he had sought something that could be his, entirely his. It prompted his pursuit of hybrids. It made him feel like an outside even within his own family.

But this was different. The woman in his arms and the children inside her, they were his entirely. A thousand years of searching only to find the one thing he truly needed, truly wanted wasn't power at all, simply the most natural connection there was.

Family.

A family that was all his own.

And he would not allow anyone to take it from him. Not ever.

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**Shelley G**


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